They Meet Again
by tazlvr2001
Summary: Emily deals with her memories of her ex-husband and seeing him again.
1. Prologue

**So I sat down at my laptop to write the next chapter for 'Finally Together' and I couldn't get this idea off my mind. So, I thought I would just write it!!**

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James Mirelli. She met him while she was attending college. He was a member of the local police force. It was love at first sight and when she graduated, they got married. That was ten years ago. She couldn't believe how fast things had changed in her life.

--

**Eight years ago the abuse started**

Her life had been a happy one. They had just celebrated their second wedding anniversary. Everything was perfect, but that didn't last long. Her marriage of happiness and bliss turned into one of pain – physical and emotional pain.

"_I can't believe you let him look at you like that," James yelled._

"_Honey, what are you talking about?" she asked._

"_That man in the store was undressing you with his eyes."_

"_He was? I honestly didn't realize it, and what does it matter? I don't want him. I want and love my husband." She walked over and placed her hands around him in a hug. She felt his hands roughly pushing her away. "Babe?"_

"_It matters to me. I do not like it when my wife encourages other men to ogle her body."_

"_You think I want that attention. What has gotten into you? Ever since your mother's death you have changed. You've become so possessive." She watched as his eyes grew black with anger. She didn't even expect the slap that connected with her cheek. She brought her hand up to her face and looked at him with wide eyes._

"_You are never to bring up my mother again! Do you understand me?"_

_Unable to answer, she nodded as James turned and left the kitchen they were standing in. After a few seconds she released the breath that she was holding as tears finally came to her eyes__**. **_

_It had been two weeks since her mother-in-law, Anna Mirelli passed away from a fastly progressive battle with cancer, and her husband has seemed to be stuck in the anger phase of the grief process. Time. That was all that he needed. She believed the old expression – "Time heals all wounds". She just hoped that it would heal her husband's quickly._

--

**Five years ago her marriage ended.**

After three years of suffering the physical and emotional abuse she finally had the courage to leave him. She had threatened him several times that she would leave if he didn't get help for his grief and stop with the abuse. He just laughed at her and took that opportunity to slap her again or sometimes he would even force her to take part in her 'wifely duties' as he called them.

When he finished, he would then threaten her that if she ever did leave him, he would hunt her down and kill her. But, what could she do? Go to the police? No. He was Deputy Chief of Police there. No one would ever believe her. She lived in fear for three years until she attended a book reading at the local book store.

_F.B.I. agent, David Rossi, was there signing copies of a book he had written. She listened to his talk about his career with the bureau and working at the Behavioral Analysis Unit. She became captivated by the stories he shared. _

_Thinking more about them, she decided to put her degree to good use and join the F.B.I. It was the perfect escape. She would be protected in the academy. He would not be able to get to her. She decided while she was at the library to print out the application from the public computers. She ran home to fill them out before James returned home._

_To say that she was surprised to find him at the house when she got back would be an understatement. "Honey," she stated with surprise. "I thought your shift wasn't over until later this evening."_

"_I thought I could come home and have my wife make me some lunch. Where were you?"_

"_At the book store. There was an author, David Rossi, there signing copies of his book and talking about it. He is an F.B.I. agent and wrote about some of the cases from his time in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. It looks like an interesting read." She held up the book with the title 'Deviance' written across it. _

_He took the book from her hands and she cringed when she remembered that the printed out application was tucked into the book. "What is this?" he asked when he found the papers. "An application for the F.B.I. academy?!"_

"_It was an interesting talk that Agent Rossi gave. I just printed it out. I was going to talk to you about it tonight. I'd like to fill the application out. It would be a chance to put my degree to good use. Training is only for a few months and I could apply to get placed in the local field office, here."_

"_Absolutely not," he yelled as he backhanded her across the face. This time he didn't stop there. He continued his abuse. It was the worse one, and the last one she would ever have to endure. In the end, she was left with a black eye, dislocated shoulder and some bruised ribs on her left side. James left her sobbing on their living room floor as he left to return to work. "Dinner better be ready by seven." He slammed the door and walked out._

_An hour later she looked up at the clock, 1pm. She had six hours to be gone. She knew that she needed to get to her mother's house. She would be safe there. _

_

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_**So...interested? Let me know. Who do you think "She" is? I will reveal it next chapter, as well if there will be any pairings. Unlike "Finally Together", this will not be an audience participation story.  
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	2. Who is she?

**WOW!! such a great response to that first chapter, I couldn't stop myslef from writing this one. **

**Now before you go on and read who the person is who the pairing might be let's take a look at your choices.**

**Three woman - Penelope Garcia, Jennifer Jareau and Emily Prentiss (intentionally listed in alphabetical order so as not to give you any hints.)**

**Garcia - No one guessed that it would be her. Probably because I mentioned that our mystery girl graduated college, and we all know that she dropped out of Cal Tech when her parents died, so virtual cookie for you all.**

**JJ - There are a lot of stories out there that paint her as the victims of a crime. She does seem to be the most logical choice.**

**Emily - Do you believe that it was her time growing up under the microscope of her mother that helped her to compartmentalize? She couldn't possibly allow herself to be in a n abusive relationship! Could she?**

**Aw who am I kidding! By now I'm sure you've cheated and looked to the start of the chapter and you have already read the identity of our mystery woman.  
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Once she arrived at her mother's home, her parent's immediately insisted that she go to the hospital. It was then that she found out that she was pregnant and lost the baby. Since that day, November has always been a tough month for Emily Prentiss - a constant reminder to the marriage that she escaped and the baby she lost.

Each November her routine was always the same – she'd have nightmares for a week leading up to the anniversary of final confrontation with James. She would wake up alone, scared and crying from the affects of those memories.

It took her a long time to recover from those three years of the gradually accelerating abuse. For the most part, her recovery was exceptional. She learned how to create those little compartment boxes within her mind to help her to deal with her emotions. That is how she has been successful in fooling her coworkers into believing that none of this affects her.

**Present Day**

This year would be different. She has someone in her life whom she couldn't hide the pain of those nightmares from, and that was scaring her more than the knowledge of her upcoming nightmares. But, this year she would also have someone to help her through the pain of the memories. She just didn't know how to tell him about them.

No one on the team knew about her marriage nor did they know about the pregnancy. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the nightmares appeared. Maybe she could just explain them as being brought on by a recent case. That just might work, they all had them.

--

Early Saturday morning, he woke up hearing the sobs and feeling the shakes coming from the woman sharing the bed with him. He looked over at the clock on the nightstand – 3am. "Em? Are you okay honey?"

Emily wiped the tears from her eyes before she replied, "I'm fine, Aaron. It was just a nightmare."

"Come here," he replied as he held his arms open to embrace her. Emily moved into his embrace and felt the immediate comfort of her lover's arms. Eventually Hotch felt Emily's breathing even out as she drifted back to sleep.

It has been ten months since they started dating. For the first six months, they hid the relationship from the "higher-ups" in the F.B.I., but not from the team. Hotch and Emily knew that they would support them and watch their backs where Strauss was concerned.

Once they hit the sixth month mark and had a record of being able to handle themselves responsibly and keep their relationship separate from their workplace, Hotch decided that he wanted to make their relationship public. With the help of Rossi's influences, they received the blessing from the F.B.I. with the stipulation that they kept the separation of their work and personal lives.

In essence – if they fought at home they couldn't show it at work. But that wouldn't be a problem. Emily and Hotch were two people that rarely let their emotions show when they were working.

--

JJ was reading the morning newspaper and enjoying her morning coffee when her cell phone rang. Not recognizing the number, she quickly answered it hoping that it was just a wrong number and not an urgent case. "Agent Jareau."

"Agent Jareau, my name is Detective Suarez with the Danbury, Connecticut Police Department."

'_So much for the hopes of it not being a case,'_ she thought to herself before asking, "What can I do for you, Detective?"

"We've just discovered five bodies. All female brunettes in their mid 30s. I've e-mailed you the file. If you could please take a look at it, we feel that we could really use your help."

"I'll take a look, but Detective, we need an official invite from your superior in order to help with this case."

"It is also in that file."

"Okay, I will look through the information and consult with the members of the team."

"Thank you, Agent Jareau."

JJ hung up with the detective and immediately powered on her laptop that was sitting on the kitchen table. As she looked through the files she immediately knew that this was something that the team would definitely have to help with. JJ picked up her phone and called Hotch to inform him of the case.

--

Hotch heard his cell phone ringing and quickly answered it, hoping to not wake Emily up. "Hotchner."

"Hotch, it's JJ. I just got a call from a Detective Suarez in Connecticut. They just discovered five bodies, just off of a hiking trail in a local state park. He e-mailed me the file and the official invite from his Lieutenant. It looks like this might not be able to wait until Monday."

Hotch sighed, "Alright, go ahead and call everyone and have them be at the B.A.U. in an hour."

--

Upstairs, Emily was slowly waking from her sleep when she felt the coldness of the empty bed next to her where Hotch normally sleeps. Wiping the remainders of sleep from her eyes, she slipped her robe on and journeyed to the kitchen where, by the smell of the coffee brewing, she was sure to find him.

As Hotch hung up the phone with JJ he looked up and saw Emily standing in the doorway. Smiling he greeted his girlfriend, "Good Morning." He stood up and walked to meet Emily at the doorway.

"I woke up and the bed was very cold. What are you doing up so early, Aaron. It's Saturday!" Emily pulled him into a hug.

Aaron sighed, "I got a phone call."

"Please don't tell me we have a case," whined Emily.

"I'm sorry. I was just coming to wake you. We have to be at the office in an hour." Emily groaned as she turned to get dressed for work.

As she took her shower, Emily hoped that the emotions of her memories would not inhibit her ability to work this case. _'Maybe it will be a good distraction,'_ she thought to herself.

A little over an hour later, the team all gathered in the conference room. JJ began introducing the case to them. "Last night the bodies of five women were all found buried in shallow graves in Danbury, Connecticut - all brunettes in their mid 30s."

"Well he definitely has a type," said Morgan.

"Just great," mused Emily.

"JJ, they haven't been able to identify the bodies, yet?" asked Rossi.

JJ shook her head, "No, there has been some kind of computer glitch with the computers and they can't get a match to any of the victims."

"Which is why you are coming with us for this one, Garcia," noted Hotch.

"No problem," said Garcia.

"What makes them so sure that this is not an isolated case?" asked Reid.

"Two sets of tattoos were found on each body," answered JJ as she clicked on a screen bringing the following descriptions under their respective picture.

Vic # 1 Dec lt. ankle  
Vic # 2 Jan lt. knee  
Vic # 3 Feb lt. wrist  
Vic # 4 Mar lt. shoulder  
Vic # 5 Apr lt. cheek

"Each of the victims had a different month tattooed on a body part. And," she clicked onto the next screen which brought up the pictures of the dead women's heads, showing a number tattooed on each of their foreheads. "As you can see, Detective Suarez used these numbers when assigning them to the victims."

"We can discuss this case further on the plane. Wheels up in 30," said Hotch.

Emily stayed behind in the conference room a little longer after everyone left to get their bags. Just her luck! It was bad enough that she has to deal with the anniversary of her child's death, and the memories of her failed marriage, but now she is returning close to the place she used to call home. Emily feared that her nightmares would only get worse.

JJ spotted Emily still sitting their when she was walking past the room. "You okay?" When Emily didn't respond JJ walked into the room, "Em?"

"Hmm?"

"You alright?"

"I'm fine…just thinking about the case." Emily lied hoping that JJ wouldn't notice it and call her on it.

"Ok… Are you ready to head on over to the jet?"

"Yeah, I just need to stop by me desk and pick up my bag," Emily replied as she stood up from the chair and followed JJ out of the conference room.

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**So...were your guesses correct? **


	3. The Arrival

**I'm just reposting this chapter,since I'm not too sure if the alerts were sent out for it the first time it was put up. I'm sorry if you read it already!!  
**

**Hoping that this works now. I've been trying to upload it all day.**

**Thank you fro all of your reviews!!**

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Forty-five minutes later they found themselves on the plane. "Prentiss, have you been back to Connecticut since you graduated from Yale?"

"No, I have made it a point to stay away from there," Emily replied.

"Too many bad drunken memories?" he joked.

Emily took a deep breath, "You could say that," she replied.

"Any embarrassing stories?" pried Garcia.

"None that I care to share," Emily replied with a smirk.

"Aww come on Emily," said Reid getting in on the 'Gang Up On Prentiss Parade'.

Before she could reply the pilot announced that they would be landing shortly. The group scattered to take their seats and the necessary safety landing procedures that needed to be followed. Ten minutes later the plane had landed and they were separated into the SUVs and on their way to the police station.

Entering, the bullpen of the police station, JJ noticed a man walking towards them with a look of relief plastered across his face. He held out his hand to her, "Detective Suarez."

"Agent Jareau. These are my colleagues, Agents Hotchner, Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, Dr. Reid and our Technical Analyst, Penelope Garcia."

"Thank you all for coming. If you would please follow me, I have set up one of the conference rooms for you to use."

"Thank you," said Hotch. "We got your latest information while we were in the air. You know the identities of one of the victims?"

He nodded, "The first victim, Anna Smith, she was our Police chief's neighbor, as I'm sure you can imagine, he has taken a personal interest in this case. He is on his way here as we speak."

"Of course. Once she gets set-up Garcia will do what she can to get your system up and running again and we can work on identifying the other four bodies."

"That would be greatly appreciated, Agent Hotchner."

"Could you make sure to have your Chief meet with us once he arrives?" asked JJ.

"Yes Ma'am."

"What is his…" Suarez left the room before JJ could even finish the sentence, "name? That was weird."

"It's Connecticut, they're all weird," joked Emily, earning a small chuckled from all of them.

They found a box containing all of the evidence collected so far in the case on top of the table. Looking through it, Emily found the crime scene pictures of all of the women, which she handed to Reid to place on their display board. There was also the photo of the first victim, Anna Smith.

Under each of the victims' names, Reid marked off the number, and month that had been tattooed on the bodies, as well as, the location of the tattoos.

"We've got five women all with five different months tattooed on them. Our Unsub might be looking to complete the year," suggested Morgan.

"So you're saying that there are seven other women out there that he is looking to kill?" asked JJ.

"Or he has already killed them," Emily added. "This might not be the only dump sight."

"Is there a significance between the months and the placement of the tattoos?" questioned Rossi.

"They are common areas of abuse. It could be that our Unsub was abused as a child. Maybe even by his mother," said Morgan.

"The Unsub would probably be in his late 30s, early 40s. All the victims are white, so I would say that he is also a white male," Reid offered.

"Garcia, check hospital records from 1960-1980 for white males with the injuries that matched the list. They would be no older than 14-15," ordered Hotch. They all knew that in most cases, the mother would not be able to continue or even start the abuse if the son was passed that age, he would just be too strong.

"I'm on it," said Garcia as her fingers started to perform their magic.

"We need to get to the crime scene and see if there is anything of use there. Reid, you stay back here with Garcia and see if you can get anything on victimology. Hopefully, we can get the IDs on these other four women soon. Emily and JJ, why don't you meet with Anna Smith's next of kin and see what you can get that will help us figure out more on the victimology. Morgan, Rossi and I will go to the crime scene," said Hotch.

"What about the Police Chief?" asked JJ.

"We'll wait till he gets here before splitting up." They all nodded their understanding of the assignments and started to look through the evidence to help Reid with the victimology.

No one noticed the police chief when he entered the room. "Hello Emmy."

Emily dropped the papers that she had been holding onto the table. His voice was unmistakable. She knew it was him before she forced herself to look up at his face. "James," she whispered, causing everyone in the room to turn and look at her.

"So you went and did it, anyway, you joined the FBI, and you're in the BAU no less! Very impressive," James said with an evil smile.

She was never more glad to have the table between her and the door. Emily took a deep breath and pushed all of the fear that was flowing to the surface back into its neatly packed compartment. She knew that this time she was not alone and that she had the team to back her up. "I see you are now Chief of Police. How long have you lived in this town?"

"I received a promotion to this office and moved here about a year you left," he answered her.

JJ, who was standing the closest to him, stepped forward, "Chief Mirelli, my name his Special Agent Jennifer Jareau. These are the members of the BAU, Supervisory Special Agents Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Dr. Spencer Reid and it seems you are already familiar with Emily Prentiss and our Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia."

"Since when?" he asked Emily, never taking his eyes from her to acknowledge the others in the room.

Although they were all probably confused at the question, Emily understood. She saw that look in his eyes. The look he would always give when the beatings were about to start. She felt Hotch take a step closer to her as her body tensed. Emily knew that James was upset that she had changed her last name.

Finding that Hotch's presence had given her enough courage to answer she said, "When I returned to DC…We came here to help you catch a serial killer, James. NOT to discuss our personal lives."

James walked closer to Emily, but stopped when he saw Morgan take a protective step towards Emily. "You've grown a backbone Emmy." James smiled as he watched her courage slipping away and the fear that was present in her eyes three years ago returned. "You are right. It is important to get this all finished. We can catch up later." James then walked out of the room.

Emily turned her back to the team and walked towards one of the windows and stared out, with her hands folded across her chest in a defensive position, as memories of that last year flew to her mind. She allowed herself to drift back to her time as Emily Mirelli, battered wife.

JJ called to her, "Emily, are you okay?"

When Emily didn't answer, Morgan placed a hand on her shoulder, "Emily?" he asked.

Emily pulled away from him. "Don't touch me," she yelled as she took a few steps back.

Hotch walked up to Emily. "Emily, look at me. It's Aaron." She stared right through him, not responding to his words. Keeping some distance between them, he decided to try again a different tactic, "Prentiss."

Emily seemed to have been pulled from her trance at the mention of her last name. All of a sudden she remembered she was no longer Emily Mirelli, battered wife. That woman was long gone. She was Emily Prentiss a respected member of the FBI's elite BAU team.

Blinking her eyes Emily focused on Hotch. "I'm sorry," said Emily as she stepped past them and ran out towards the bathroom.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Rossi.

"I don't know," said Reid.

"JJ?" asked Hotch.

Not needing him to ask the question, JJ turned and went after Emily.

"Garcia, cross check Chief Mirelli and Emily. We need anything that connects the two of them," said Hotch.

"What do you think is going on?" Garcia asked.

"I don't know, maybe something from her time at Yale."

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**Will Emily open up to JJ? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out.**


	4. He's My Ex

**If you didn't get the alert for chapter three. Click the button now to read it. This site really hasn't been working that great this weekend and I wouldn't want you to miss a chapter!! **

**Well I hope you can get to read this soon. Not sure if you are getting the alerts or if this is even going to work when I try to submit it. Anyone else having trouble submitting stories?**

**Thank you for all of your reviews.  
**

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Emily sat in a stall in the ladies room. Once again her hands were crossed in front of her in a defensive position. She was rocking back and forth as tears flowed from her eyes. The door to the bathroom slowly crept open. Emily froze as she heard the lock to the door being set.

"Em?" said JJ softly.

Emily relaxed when she heard the familiar voice, but did not answer her. JJ walked further into the bathroom and found Emily in the last stall with the door still open. Entering the stall she knelt down in front of her friend. "Are you okay?" Emily shook her head. "Do you want me to get Hotch?"

"NO!" Emily cried.

"Okay…okay. Do you want to tell me what has gotten you so upset?" asked JJ. "Is it Mirelli?" JJ could see the fear in Emily's eyes at the mention of his name. "Em, how do you know him?"

"He's…he's my ex-husband," whispered Emily. "I need you to promise me something. You can not leave me alone with him. Promise me JJ," she pleaded.

"I promise," JJ assured her as she reached up and wiped the tears from Emily's eyes. "Emily, did he hurt you?" Emily did not answer the question, but the look in her eyes and the way her body tensed after JJ asked the question, was all that JJ needed. "You have to tell them."

"I can't," said Emily.

"At least Hotch." Emily shook her head. "Emily, Hotch will be able to make sure that you do not have contact with Mirelli while we work this case. Plus, you know how much he loves you and doesn't want to see you in any pain. He will just get suspicious and you will have to tell him eventually."

"I don't think I can," Emily whispered.

"I'll be there with you, if you want," JJ grabbed hold of Emily's hand and helped her stand.

"Thank you," said Emily as she walked over to a sink and ran water over her face.

"Come on, let's go before Hotch has Morgan busting in here," JJ joked as she turned towards the door with Emily following close behind and unlocked it.

They stepped out of the bathroom and saw Mirelli at a nearby desk. JJ heard Emily's breath hitch as he looked up and smiled at her with a wink. "Come on, Em." JJ placed her hand on Emily's back and led her back towards the conference room.

Morgan saw the ladies on the way back, "What have you got, Baby Doll?"

"I have got nothing. There is absolutely no sign that they ever crossed paths," said Garcia.

"Are you sure?" asked Reid. "It would have been some time just before she entered the Academy."

"Absolutely ziltch," said Garcia.

"They definitely know each other," said Rossi as he watched Emily and JJ step closer to the room. "How could there not be any evidence."

"She'll tell us," said Hotch, "when she is ready." They all stopped discussing this further as Emily and JJ returned to the room. "Guys, can you give Hotch and us some time." They all stood to leave the room.

"No," said Emily. "You should all hear this."

"Are you sure?" asked JJ concerned for her friend. Emily nodded.

JJ turned to make sure that the door was shut and sat down with the rest of team as Emily began to speak.

Emily took a deep breath, standing away from the table she began to explain. "James Mirelli is my ex-husband."

Hotch looked up at her with a shocked expression. She never told him about that. _'Surely that would have come up in their conversations about each other's lives before they met.'_

"Just before I entered the Academy we lived two towns East of here. While I was in the Academy I had divorce papers drawn up and delivered to him. It took almost a year, but I was finally able to get him to sign the papers. I had not spoken to him since I left."

"We had –" started Hotch, but Emily cut him off.

"Aaron, please let me finish. This is hard for me to talk about." Hotch nodded and Emily continued. "With the way I acted when James entered his office, I would be surprised if you didn't have Garcia look into the connection between James and myself. If I am correct you just found out that there is absolutely no connection that Garcia was able to find." Garcia nodded and Emily spoke again with a small smile directed towards Garcia, "You are not the only Goddess of Cyberspace." This brought some chuckles from the group in front of her. "My mother paid someone to erase all evidence that James and I ever knew each other. The last couple of years of our marriage were hard as was the year we were separated. He wasn't all too willing to sign the papers." Emily sat down at the table between JJ and Hotch.

"Are you going to be okay to stay here?" asked Hotch.

Emily put her hand on his lap. "I'll be fine, Aaron," she answered quickly.

"Did he hurt you Emily?" Rossi asked as everyone looked on anxiously for her response.

Emily threw a quick side glance to JJ before answering, "I just don't feel comfortable being in the same room alone with him."

Her avoidance of the question did not go unnoticed by the profilers in the room. "Okay," said Hotch. "Em, if at any time you feel that you can not stay here, I need you to promise me that you will let me know."

Emily reached up and placed her hand on his cheek, "I promise and I will talk to you more about this once we get home. Please, let's just get through this case."

Hotch placed his hand ontop of Emily's and brought it down from his cheek. Kissing the back of her hand, he smiled at her, "Alright."

The moment was broken up by a knock at the door. Emily tensed up a little, but relaxed when Hotch squeezed her hand, "It's okay," he whispered. He nodded to JJ to open the door.

Detective Suarez walked into the room. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but we've just got a call in to the station about five bodies found in a shallow grave. From the descriptions it sounds like it is related. It's been leaked to the press as well."

"Alright, change of the original plans, Reid and Garcia you are still going to stay here. The rest of us will go to the latest scene. JJ, I'm going to need you there as well to keep the press contained." JJ nodded her understanding. "Alright, let's get going," said Hotch and they all stood up and left the room.

Hotch placed a comforting hand on Emily's back as he led them out of the conference room. As they were walking through the precinct, Emily froze when James stepped forward and said, "Be safe Emmy," brandishing a grin to go along with it.

Hotch whispered something to them as JJ led Emily out of the precinct with Morgan and Rossi close behind them. Hotch walked over to the Mirelli, "You will address her as Agent Prentiss and you will show her the respect that she deserves not only as a woman, but as an FBI Agent."

"Yes, sir," replied the Chief sarcastically.

Hotch left the station and joined the others at the SUVs. Walking up to Emily, he took her hand in his "You, okay?"

"I'm fine, Aaron," said Emily unconvincingly. "Would you find if JJ and I took a separate SUV?"

"Of course not," he answered.

"Thanks."

They split up into the two cars – JJ and Emily in one and Rossi, Morgan and Hotch in the other. Morgan called up from the backseat, "Do you believe that she is fine?"

"I don't," said Hotch. "She is trying to cover it up, but not well."

"It has to be tough in her," said Rossi. "She fits the victimology, and as if that isn't bad enough, she also runs into her ex-husband that she obviously spent so much time and effort into making sure that there was no connection between the two of them. As if their marriage never existed."

"You think there is more to what happened in that marriage than she is telling us?" asked Morgan.

"She deliberately didn't answer my question when I asked it," said Rossi. "There was definitely emotional abuse."

"Seeing Mirelli triggered some memories. I'm worried that it is something more than emotional abuse. She jumped when Morgan put his hand on her shoulder, and it took a few moments for her to focus and realize that it was me standing before her," Hotch added.

"You think she was abused physically?" asked Morgan.

"God, I hope not," answered Hotch. "But the way she has been acting…"

"She won't admit it," said Morgan.

"She will when she is ready. We will just have to be there for her when that time comes," advised Rossi.

"We will," said Hotch through clenched teeth.

Once the team left the precinct, James sat back in his chair. He began to laugh to himself. He just knew this was going to be a lot of fun. His plan had worked perfectly. Of course he followed her progress one she left him. He knew how well she was doing in the FBI and he researched the BAU once she had been appointed to that team. He knew what crimes needed to be committed in order to warrant their attention. He had been very careful as he took his time in beating, raping and making sure no evidence was left with the woman he kidnapped. They all reminded him of her and now that she was here, it was time to once again claim her as his own.

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**If you read the third chapter before today, you'll probably recognize the last paragraph from their. I accidentally had in it the wrong spot. I fixed chapter 3 and placed it in the correct spot in chapter 4. **


	5. More Victims

**I hope that you were able to get the alerts about chapters 3 and 4, which were put up over the weekend, if not please read those before you read this chapter.**

**Thank you for all of the reviews and support of this story that I have received so far.**

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"So, your mom found another cyberspace goddess, huh?"

"She did," Emily nodded as she looked out the window at the passing scenery.

JJ glanced over at her friend and could see that she was still a little upset at the situation she was facing. "Em, you are not going to be able to keep the truth from them much longer."

Emily looked out the window of the SUV before turning back to JJ and responding to her statement. "I know, JJ. I…I just need some time to prepare." She takes a deep breath. "We need to find this Unsub and, whether I like it or not, that is going to require some cooperation with James. You know how protective the guys are. If I tell them the rest of what happened when I was married to James, they'll go after him and not focus on our Unsub. I can't even imagine what Aaron would do. I can't let it get in the way of solving this case."

"Alright….it looks like we are here." JJ pulled over to the side of the rode behind the other SUV. She could see the press already gathering. As they exited the SUV, JJ walked over to where the press was and Emily joined the men at the others as they walked over to the crime scene.

"You must be the members from the BAU," said a member from the coroner's office.

"We are," said Hotch. "I'm Agent Hotchner. With me are Agents Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss and Jareau.

"Follow me," he turned and led them to the nearest crime scene. "This is the most recent victim. Time of death is about twelve hours. She was found lying face down on top of the ground. The other victims were found buried at intervals of three to five feet apart from each other. None of them would have been found if it wasn't for an intense downpour we had last night. My guess that is what kept the killer from burying her body. A few joggers came across them this morning."

"The call that came into the station said that there were five bodies found, but there are six here," said Hotch.

"We didn't come across her until after the call came in," the coroner explained.

Morgan walked down the line of bodies. "Have the bodies been moved at all?" he asked.

"No, we heard that you were in town and on the way so we left them in the positions that they were found. We just removed the dirt from the top of their bodies and took the photos of them."

Emily walked along the row of bodies. Removing gloves from her pockets she knelt down in front of one of the bodies with its wrist elevated. "It's definitely our Unsub," she said. "There is a '6' on her forehead and the month of 'May' on her right ankle."

Morgan looked over at the coroner, "Have you cataloged the tattoos and their placements?"

"We have." The coroner handed the list to Rossi.

vic #6 May rt. ankle  
vic #7 June rt. knee  
vic #8 July rt. wrist  
vic #9 Aug rt. shoulder  
vic #10 Sept rt. cheek

"There are only five names here," he noticed as he handed the paper to Hotch.

"We figured the rain kept the killer from completing his signature with the latest victim. Nothing is tattooed on her forehead and she hadn't been buried."

"Did you check the body?" asked Rossi.

"No, we didn't," the coroner answered.

"This unsub is too deliberate to let rain get in the way," said Morgan.

Emily nodded in agreement with his statement and moved to the last body. She lifted up the shirt, "October over the right side of the lower back." The coroner stepped over and took pictures to document the latest discovery. "Do any of them have identification with them?"

"No, they have nothing on them, just like the other women," he replied with a sad smile.

"Morgan, call Garcia and relay this list to her, and see if she can connect the months or body parts," Hotch. "Rossi and I will pick up some dinner and bring it back to the station. You go with Emily and JJ. Keep Mirelli away from her." Morgan nodded and Hotch could see that Emily was about to object to the idea. "Holding up his hand to stop her objection, he continued, "That's an order."

Emily could see the apologetic look in Hotch's eyes. He knew that she wanted to be alone with JJ for the car ride, but she knew that he was worried that Mirelli would try to approach her again once they entered the station. If she was honest with herself, Emily was glad that Hotch had made that decision. She was very anxious about walking through those station doors again.

The ride back to the station was quiet, until Morgan decided to speak. He couldn't hold back anymore. He knew that there was more to the story of "Emily and James Mirelli' and he wanted to know all about it. He was worried about Emily and what seeing James was doing to her. "Em - "

"Morgan, leave it alone," said JJ, supporting her friend.

"You know what's going on," Morgan stated, starting up this conversation as if Emily was not even in the car with them.

"She doesn't want to talk about it. You need to allow her that. She'll talk when she is ready," JJ was staring at him through the rear view mirror of the car.

Morgan looked over to Emily who just stared out the window, trying to avoid his stares. He could see her eyes watering. "Alright, but you need to know that I am here for you, Em." He placed his hand on her shoulder and she just nodded her reply, afraid that her voice wouldn't be steady if she tried to speak.

They entered the station, Morgan and JJ both walking on either side of Emily. Morgan looked around, "He's not here, Em." They could both hear her relieved sigh and see her body relax as they entered the conference room.

Reid and Garcia both looked up and smiled at them as they entered. "He left about a half hour ago to go on his dinner break," said Reid knowing that the question would soon be raised about the location of the Police Chief.

"Thanks, Reid," said Emily with a small smile. "Hotch and Rossi are picking up something to eat for all of us."

Morgan asked, "Anything, Babygirl?"

"I can't find any records consistent with all of these injuries," she answered.

"Do you think he might not have lived around here?" asked JJ.

"I expanded my search, checking the entire state and found nothing," said Garcia.

"It's not likely that our Unsub would have been from another state," said Morgan.

They spent the next half hour bouncing theories back and forth, asking Garcia to run searches. They were all getting frustrated when Hotch and Rossi walked into the conference room caring bags of take-out Chinese food. Glad for the distraction, they all helped to unpack the bags as Morgan relayed the results of all of the searches. After dinner, Hotch decided that they should all had to the hotels and get some rest, hoping that well-rested eyes and minds will improve their chances of finding their Unsub.

--

Walking into the hotel, Hotch pulled Emily aside. "Do you want to stay in my room tonight? I know we agreed to not sleep in the same room while we are on a case. I just thought that you might need it tonight."

Emily put her arms around his waist, pulling him into a tight hug, "Thank you."

Hotch turned to the rest of the team. "Let's meet back here at 7am." They all nodded as JJ walked up to them the with their room keys. They entered the elevator as a group, Hotch never letting go of Emily's hand.

They had three rooms on the right side of the hallway and two on the left, directly across the hall. Normally, each of the guys would have their own room and JJ and Emily always preferred to share a room together, usually it was the middle room surrounded by the guys on the team. It was a decision that was done unconsciously. The guys needing to make sure that they were protected, and the girls feeling more secure being there.

On the right side, Emily stopped at the first door with Hotch, JJ and Garcia entered the second room and Rossi took the last. On the left side, Morgan took the first door and Reid the second one. They all knew that normally, Emily would have been all too happy to join the other girls, but she was probably in need of the comfort of Hotch's arms after the events of the day.

"Are you okay?" Hotch asked, once Emily had finished her nightly rituals and joined him in the bed.

"I'm fine," said Emily.

"Stop giving that answer, because we both know that you are not fine."

"Just hold me," said Emily. "I just need to feel some safety in your arms."

Hotch could hear her voice cracking as she leant in and buried her face in his chest. He pulled her in to a tight embrace and felt the wetness of her tears on his t-shirt. Running his hand up and down her back he wished that she would tell him all that happened when she was married to Mirelli. The conversation that he had in the car with Rossi and Morgan on the way to the latest crime scene had him believing that he had physically abused her. Hotch was glad that she hadn't admitted it. He didn't know if he or any of the other guys could hold themselves back from attacking Mirelli if what they feared was discovered to be true.


	6. Another Confrontation

**What? another chapter? Aren't you lucky?**

**Thank you all for the encouraging reviews**

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"_I don't understand what the problem is, honey. It's the first time in five years that my parents are in the country for birthday and they want to have dinner with us," said Emily._

"_I said no, Emmy. Your mother doesn't like me, anyway. I refuse to spend the evening with her and her fake smiles towards me," James replied._

"_Fine, then you can stay home, but I am going to dinner with them."_

"_You are not going anywhere," said James as he grabbed her wrist and stopped her from walking away. _

"_Let go of my arm, James. I don't need your permission to have dinner with them." Emily pulled her wrist from his grasp._

"_You are not going, Emmy." He pulled her shoulders sending her off balance and crashing to the floor. She landed hard on her back. Raising her right hand to the sore spot, just above her waist she rubbed where she could already feel a bruise forming._

"_You have got to stop doing this, James. I will not stay here anymore and let you hurt me."_

_James crouched down and took Emily's chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "Let me make myself very clear here, Emmy. You will never leave me. I won't allow it. You are going to stay with me and be the perfect wife that you and I both know you are." He picked her up from the floor and laid her on their bed and proceeded to lead her in her role as the "perfect wife"._

Hotch woke up to the sound of soft sobs coming from Emily. She had turned in her sleep and her back was resting against his chest. "Em?" He put his hand on her shoulder unsure if she was still sleeping.

"I just had a nightmare, Aaron. Please go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

"I can't go to sleep when you are this upset."

"I'm fine," Emily insisted as she turned in his arms and gave him a kiss.

Just like she had a few hours ago, Emily buried her face in his chest. After a few minutes Hotch felt and heard her breathing even out as she fell back to sleep. Closing his eyes, Hotch allowed himself to drift to sleep as he prayed for the end of this case to come swiftly so that the healing she has been putting off can truly begin.

--

They all met down in the hotel lobby at 7am and stopped off at a diner for breakfast on their way to the station. They spent the breakfast time joking with each other. They were all happy to see a smile appear on Emily's face that they all made the unconscious effort to not speak about the case or Mirelli.

Their brief moment of ignorance was interrupted when JJ's phone rang. They all feared that there were more bodies discovered. When she hung up the phone JJ told them that the call was from the ME and thanks to the computer repair job that Garcia performed the day before, they were successful in obtaining the identities of all of their victims.

They all entered the SUVs once again as they journeyed back to the precinct. JJ had informed them that Mirelli was out of the station helping to notify the families of the death of their loved one. As they all gathered in the conference room, Hotch asked Garcia to run computer searches to see if any of the women had similarities between them.

Five minutes later, Emily started to feel the effects of too much morning coffee. She walked over to JJ, "Hey, JJ, will you come with me to the ladies room?"

"Sure," she replied as she followed her.

"I think the unsub is local," said Reid as he was looking over the map in the conference room. "The bodies were found along a local running track. He wanted the bodies to be found. That's why they were not buried too far in the ground."

"He knew that there would be a heavy rainfall that would reveal them," added Rossi picking up on Reid's thought pattern.

"I can't find any connection between these women," said Garcia.

They spent the next few minutes bouncing ideas back and forth before Morgan glanced up towards the main room in the station. "Shit!" he exclaimed as he saw a pissed off JJ standing in front of Emily, who he can tell from her eyes, was upset. Mirelli was standing in front of them.

Hotch followed Morgan's glance and saw the confrontation. "Dave -"

"I'm on it," said Rossi as he left the room.

"What's going on?" asked Garcia as her view was blocked by Morgan's body.

"Mirelli is confronting Emily again," answered Reid.

"Garcia, get me everything you can on his background," ordered Hotch.

"Besides a few restraining orders, his record is clean. He was deputy chief for about ten years until he received the job offer to be chief," Garcia answered.

"Who is listed on the restraining orders?" asked Reid.

"It's a sealed file."

"Unseal it," ordered Hotch.

"Yes, sir." Her fingers stopped as a light gasp escaped her lips. "It's Emily. Three of them – Chicago, St. Louis, and there is one for D.C."

"You didn't know about this?" asked Morgan.

"She never mentioned it," Hotch answered.

He looked out towards where Emily and JJ were standing before. He noticed an angry Rossi walking protectively behind the two women. "Reid, close those blinds in this room. I don't want anyone from this station to be able to look in here." Reid nodded and stood to follow his Unit Chief's orders. At the same time JJ and Rossi were leading Emily into the room.

"Em, you okay?" asked Morgan.

Seeing her reluctance to reply Hotch asked Rossi what happened. Rossi put his hands up in the air, "I got to them and JJ was giving him a lecture on female respect and office protocol."

Hotch knelt down in front of Emily and took hold of her hand. "Em, baby, please look at me."

She still didn't respond, "JJ?" Hotch turned to her for answers.

"I looked around the precinct as we walked into the restroom. He was nowhere to be found. When we left to come back to the room, it was like he was stalking the rest room just waiting for us to come out. He was near a desk just looking at us with a smile on his face," JJ replied and she started to relay to them what had happened when they walked out of the ladies room.

_JJ and Emily came out of the ladies room laughing about some joke that was passed between the two women while they were inside. Emily stopped when she saw Mirelli leaning against the desk in front of them. _

"_I've been hoping we could get the chance to talk. You know catch up on old times." He winked at her. _

"_We need to focus on finding the Unsub that killed those women, James," Emily replied as she felt herself starting to shake._

"_I know and I have no doubt that your team will find him. Are you close to a profile?"_

"_We should have it very soon," replied JJ trying to lead Emily to walk passed him._

"_Looking forward to it. I've always loved watching you in action. I do hope that you will be safe, Emmy."_

"He lent in close to whisper something in her ear. Her whole body tensed a look of fear came to her eyes. I went off on him on proper protocol with female workers and then at that point Rossi came by." She looked towards Rossi, "You must have scared him off because he couldn't move away fast enough from us."

"What did he say to her?" asked Morgan.

JJ shook her head, "I don't know. I couldn't hear it." Emily mumbled something from the chair she was sitting in. Her head was down which didn't help them to understand what was being said. Hotch squeezed her hand,l "What was that, sweetheart?"

Emily spoke softly, "You know how clumsy you get. He said 'You know how clumsy you get.'" She lifted her head and made eye contact with JJ, "It's time."

"Are you sure?"

Emily felt her eyes water, "I can't put this off any longer."

"Alright," said JJ as she squeezed her hand. "Take your time."

Emily stood up and walked towards one of the windows. Taking a deep breath, she started, "Tomorrow would have been our tenth anniversary."

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**Oh no, she didn't just go and leave another nasty cliffhanger, did she?**

**Unfortunately so!! *slaps hand* Bad Karen!! LOL.  
**


	7. The Truth

**The response to the last chapter was so overwhelming, Thank you so much!! **

**Here it is, Emily tells all about her past with James. WARNING: This chapter will probably make you angry and/or sad so have the tissues waiting, and maybe a stress ball or a punching bag. LOL!!**

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**Emily stood up and walked towards one of the windows. Taking a deep breath, she started, "Tomorrow would have been our tenth anniversary. The first two years were incredible. James was deputy chief of police and I was enjoying my life as a housewife. I already graduated from Yale, but decided to not get a job right away. With James' salary the need wasn't really there for me to get a job, and at that time, I was more than happy to just stay at home and be the perfect wife."

"When did it all change?" asked Morgan.

Emily turned around and looked at Morgan for a few seconds, building her courage to go on. "When his mother died," she answered. "He adored his mother. Anna was an amazing woman, filled with so much love and respect. On our wedding day, she had similar conversations with each of us before the ceremony. She told us that a happy marriage came from love and respect and that we have to be there to support each other through the hard times and to celebrate through the good times.

"Smart woman," said Rossi. "If I had that advice, I would have still been married to my first wife." They all snickered at his comment and a small smile crept onto Emily's face.

"She was diagnosed with N-stage brain Cancer about a year and a half after we were married and died about three months after that. James had a hard time coping. It started out verbally at first." Emily knew she didn't have to explain to them what she referring to by saying 'it'. They have all been in this profession too long to not know the meaning. "He would tell me I had gained weight, yelled at me when I got home late and didn't get the chance to have dinner ready for him when he returned from work. I knew it was just the grief from his mother dying that making him react that way." Emily took a moment to swallow down the lump that was forming in her throat. Crossing her arms in front of her she continued, "The first time he hit me was when I suggested to him that he should speak with a grief counselor. He slapped me and told me to 'shut up'."

"And you stayed with him because of what his mother told you?" asked JJ.

Emily nodded, "Anna was the part of my mother I never saw. She put her kids first and her own life second. I adored her. Her words from when we were married kept ringing through my mind, 'support through the hard times'. So I tried. It escalated from there. Eventually the injuries were so intense I was going to the emergency room to have them taken care of, broken and sprained wrists, dislocated shoulders, sprained ankles, a back injury from falling when he slapped me too hard..."

"But, you left eventually," said Morgan.

Emily nodded, "The morning of our fifth anniversary I attended a book reading at my local book store. You all know that I love to read. That started when my mother had her postings. I found comfort in it, getting lost in that fantasy world. Anyway, for a whole week the bookstore was highlighting crime story authors. That particular day it was a book written by an ex-F.B.I Agent."

"Me," replied Rossi.

Emily looked up and smiled at him, "Yeah."

"I remember that trip. We were five authors from different law enforcement backgrounds. We went on a book tour to talk about past cases."

Emily nodded at him and continued. "That was when I first heard about the B.A.U. After the presentation, I went to the library and printed out an application to the academy. I knew that one day I wanted to get into that unit and make a difference in this world. I had my degrees in criminal justice and linguistics, so I just needed to send the application in."

"I rushed home. I wanted to send out the application before James got home from work. I knew that he would be angry with me, but I thought that if I got the acceptance back, that he would be okay with it. I didn't expect him to already be at home. He apparently wanted me to have lunch with him. I showed him the book I bought – _Deviance_, and of course with my bad luck at the time, I had forgotten about the application that I had slipped into the book. It fell out and he picked it up off the floor."

"He didn't like that idea," said Garcia.

Tears started to fall from Emily's eyes. She shook her head as she once again turned her back on them and looked out the window. "Three broken ribs, a sprained wrist and…" Emily couldn't bring herself finish the rest of the sentence. She took a deep breath and composed herself before continuing. "I…I left that afternoon once he went back to work and went to my mother's house."

"What about the restraining orders?" asked Hotch. This was the first time that he had spoken throughout her entire re-telling of her life. Emily looked up at him. She couldn't look him in the eyes, afraid of the emotions she would see there.

"James…" she cleared her throat, "James thought that I would go back to him. This week was the first time I spoke to him since the last time he hit me. My mother's lawyers handled everything. He kept insisting that he would never sign the divorce papers. I…I don't know how they convinced him, but he eventually signed the papers. Three days after the papers were filed, I received a letter. In the letter he promised that the only way we would ever truly be apart would be if one of us died. So when I was assigned to St. Louis, Chicago and the B.A.U. I had orders of protection drawn up." She looked up at Hotch and saw a confused look in his eyes. "You didn't know about them?" she asked amazed.

"No," said Hotch as he shook his head.

"Strauss." Emily took a step toward him, but still kept her distant. Tears started to fall from her eyes and her arms still stayed crossed over her stomach in a protective position. "You have to believe me, Aaron, I…I followed protocol in each of the units I was placed in. I made each Section Chief and Unit Chief aware of what was going on and gave the Security desk a copy of the restraining order and James' picture.

Emily walked slowly to Hotch. "My first day at the B.A.U., when you told me that you hadn't heard about my transfer, there was already a meeting scheduled for the afternoon between Strauss, Jacobs from Security, myself, Gideon and you to talk about the situation. You wound up leaving for a case, Strauss told me not to worry. She said that she would inform you and Gideon about the restraining order. At the time, I had no reason not to believe her. When everything happened before Milwaukee, I still didn't think she would intentionally keep something like that hidden from you."

"If I had known about it, I would never had let you leave Quantico," said Hotch as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"We didn't know he was meeting us until we already arrived here." She gave him a weak smile, "I would have fought you, anyway."

Hotch smiled, "I know." He pulled her into a tight hug as fresh tears fell from her eyes.

After a few minutes, Emily found herself able to speak again, "Either way you were all going to find out. I was hoping that it just wasn't this way. I hate this, feeling like such a weak person. I worked so hard to overcome it."

Morgan walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Em, I know how difficult it is admitting to others about being abused. Take it from me, it doesn't make you a weak person, it makes you stronger."

Emily smiled at Derek, "Thank you. I was afraid to tell you. I don't want any of you to do anything in retaliation." She saw the look they gave her. One that said, _'We wouldn't do that!'_ "I know you all too well. Garcia is running through her mind how she could hurt him the worst with her computer and the rest of you are hoping to catch him alone in a dark alley. Believe me I get it, and after years of therapy, I can tell you, it won't change anything. It won't change what he has done."

"Alright, Em, but only because you asked," said Garcia.

Emily took a deep breath and, with a smile she removed herself from Hotch's comforting hold and said, "Let's just finish this profile so that we can catch this Unsub and get the hell out of here."

"You got it," said Rossi as the rest of the group all nodded in agreement. Even though they could all tell that there was still something that Emily was not telling them, they could discuss that once they were on their way back home.

"So what do we have?" prompted Hotch.

"Victimology – all brunette women in their mid 30s," said JJ.

"Each of the victims have a month tattooed on a body part and a number tattooed on their forehead," offered Rossi.

"Unsub is a white male, in his 30s or 40s with a history of being abused when he was younger, most likely by his mother," added Morgan.

Hotch looked over to Reid who had been quiet throughout Emily's telling of her life with James and the initial building of the profile. "Reid."

"Hmm?" Reid looked over at Hotch in confusion.

"You okay?" asked Hotch.

"You look a little more lost than I've been," joked Emily, causing the group to smirk and laugh a little.

"Umm…I…" he answered nervously.

"Spence?" asked JJ amazed at how flustered he was. She had never seen him so worried before.

Pulling himself together Reid looked up at Emily, "What month was that in?"

"What do you mean?" Emily asked.

"When you had the back injury, do you remember what month was that?"

"I don't think I will ever forget. It was in October, a month before our fifth anniversary," Emily answered. She looked into Reid's eyes and saw a small glint of fear. "What is it, Reid?"

"I…I don't think the Unsub was abused as a child." He looked at Emily with apologetic eyes. "I think he was the abuser."

"You think it's Mirelli?" asked Rossi.

Nodding, Reid continued, "Just hear me out. Emily, when we first met him, he had us all believing that he didn't know that you changed your name or that you were with the F.B.I. But, what if he was lying? He knows you well enough to know that you would be dedicated to your job and that you would feel enough of a sense of security being around us that you would insist on coming here. He didn't expect that you were unaware of him being here. That just played into his favor. You fit the victimology, and your injury to your back was in October, matching the last victim."

"I can't believe this." Emily once again walked away from the group and towards the window.

"Emily, can you remember if any of your injuries match the list?" asked Rossi.

She shook her head. "It's all blended together. I've had them all. I just can't be sure the month."

"That's okay," said Morgan, "We'll get him to admit it."

"We don't have to." Emily said still staring out the window. "Only my legal history with James was deleted. My medical records still exist under another name. Pen, bring up the medical records for Anna Emily Mirelli with my date of birth." The room was filled with silence and all they could hear was the sound of Garcia's fingers being put to work. Emily explained further, "We were worried that I would need the medical records as proof of abuse for the divorce or for any medical problems I might have from the abuse. The paper records still exist at the hospital in my name."

Garcia gasped once she saw the records. "Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"Oh Em…" said Garcia as she choked up at the records she was looking at.

Hotch looked over at Emily. She had one hand on the window sill keeping her body stabilized and the other resting on her stomach. Her head was bowed down and she was concentrating on some imaginary object on the floor. He could see tears forming in her eyes.

They all gathered around the computer as they read through the records.

"You were pregnant," said Rossi.

She was afraid to turn to them, afraid that she would break down. "I couldn't say it before. It still hurts to talk about it. He…he never knew. I found out when my mother took me to the hospital after I ran to her. I was four weeks along. It is not in any of the paper medical records. THIS is why we didn't delete the records."

They could hear Emily's control slipping away with her words. They could see her body shaking. "I lost my baby before I even knew that I had it." Hotch ran over and pulled her into another tight hug.

"Bastard," spat Morgan angrily.

After a few minutes, Reid once again looked over Garcia's shoulder at the computer. "Um…guys, everything matches," he Reid. The group looked up at Reid with wide eyes.

"Oh my God," exclaimed Emily as she felt her knees weaken. Hotch half carried/half walked her over to one of the chairs at the conference room. "Eleven women," whispered Emily. "He killed eleven women just to get to me."

JJ walked over and knelt down beside Emily and pulled her chin so that she was looking straight into her eyes. "Hey, don't you blame yourself for this."

"JJ is right," said Hotch. "Like Reid surmised, this is the only way that he could get close to you. Because of the restraining order, he couldn't get close to you in D.C. or at Quantico. Besides following you to another city, this was the best way to get you close to him. The restraining order has no power here, so I don't want you leaving this room by yourself."

"Hotch, can you guys give us a minute," asked JJ sensing that Emily might need some time to recover without the crowd around her.

"Of course," he answered.

Emily looked over at the guys and spoke up before they left the room, "Aaron, don't confront James. I think I might know how to get him to admit everything."

Rossi nodded, "We will take a walk outside. Call us when you are ready." They all turned to leave the room. JJ followed them to the door and flipped the lock on it to ensure that they had their privacy.

* * *

**There you go!! So are you ready to kill James?**


	8. Her Plan

**I love all the responses to the last chapter. Please keep them up!!**

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Emily bent down, placing her head in her hands as she did before. JJ knelt at her side while Garcia held her hand. After a few minutes, Garcia broke the silence, "Em?"

Emily nodded and looked up Garcia. "I swear I didn't even know I was pregnant. I was on birth control. I found out at the hospital." Emily's voice broke as she let the emotions come to the surface. JJ pulled her into a hug.

"We believe you, Em."

"It's going to be okay," said Garcia. "We're going to get out of this place and when we get back home, we are going to have a girl's night. We'll watch a bunch of chick flicks and feast on chocolate and wine."

"Ooo…let's make it a slumber party," cooed JJ.

"That sounds nice," said Emily. They spent the next ten minutes talking about their upcoming slumber party and giggling like school girls until Emily brought them all back to the present. "Thanks guys, I really needed the chance to laugh like that."

"Anytime. You know that, Emily," said Garcia.

"I think I might know how to get the confession," said Emily.

"Don't worry about him," said JJ. "Let Hotch and Rossi work on that."

Emily shook her head, "No, this is something that I have to take care of myself. JJ, can you call the guys back?"

"Sure, Em," JJ pulled out her cell phone and pressed the speed dial button for Rossi's cell.

"Pen, can you check get into the video cameras in the interrogation rooms?" asked Emily.

"Do you really need me to answer that question," she grinned at Emily. They both knew that it would not be a problem for Garcia to get connected. "This place has top of the line cameras - audio and visual," informed Garcia.

There was a knock on, which caused Emily to tense up a little. "It's just the guys coming back," said JJ as she looked through the blinds and saw Hotch standing at the door. JJ unlocked it and let the men of the B.A.U. walk in.

"How are you doing," asked Hotch as he walked over to her.

"I'm better," said Emily with a smile.

"JJ mentioned that you have an idea on how to make him admit everything," said Rossi.

"I do," answered Emily. "I want to talk to him alone in one of the interrogation rooms."

"No," said Hotch.

"I can get him to admit to the murders," said Emily.

"And put yourself in harm's way," said Reid.

"It's his pattern," said Emily. "First emotional abuse, than he is the sweetest person around, finally the physical abuse. I can get him to bring out the sweet side."

"It's that last part that you mentioned that we are all worried about," argued Morgan.

"If he doesn't confess or he turns out to not be our Unsub and he still manages to get physical with me, then we can arrest him for assaulting a federal agent and he goes to jail either way. I can do this," replies Emily.

"Emily, you have been freezing up every time he is near you," said Rossi.

Emily stood up from her seat and walked closer to Rossi, "It had nothing to do with being afraid of what he could physically do to me. I am passed that. Years of therapy and dealing with tougher Unsubs have helped me with that."

Emily looked at Hotch, "I was more afraid of you finding out, of all of you finding out. I was worried that you might look down on me for being so stupid and staying with him so long, thinking he would just get over his grief and stop how he was treating me. I know he can't hurt me now. I am not the weak person I was five years ago." She looks into Hotch's eyes, "I can do this, Aaron."

"Tell me your plan first," said Hotch.

"Hotch, you can't seriously be thinking about letting her do this," said Morgan.

"I want to hear watch she is planning on doing first, then I'll decide," answered Hotch.

"Garcia has access to the cameras in the interrogation rooms. We gather everyone to give the profile out. I'll pretend to sneak away and ask him to come into there to talk. After we talk for a little I'm going to mention something about his mother. It's his stressor. He is going to expect me to coward away from him. My standing up to him will throw him off. I can get him to admit it."

Hotch thinks about it for a while before he answers, "Okay."

"You're willing to send the woman you love into that room with a man who has physically and emotionally abused her in the past?" questioned Dave through clenched teeth.

Hotch shook his head, "No, I am sending a more than qualified Federal Agent in there to speak with a potential Unsub. As much as I want to act as Emily's boyfriend, right now I have to act like her supervisor. It's situations like these that the fraternization rules were instituted. We made the decision to have this relationship knowing that there will be cases where Emily or myself would be put in these difficult situations.

"The boyfriend in me wants to escort her out of this precinct and send her back to Quantico on the Bureau jet, but we can't do that. If Emily believes that she knows the right buttons to push to get that confession, than I need to trust her on that. However, I have some precautions that I want to take. They are non-negotiable, Emily. We do it this way, or not at all."

"Alright," Emily replies.

"Once you go into the interrogation room, Morgan and I will enter the observation room. Dave and Reid will continue to give the profile. If it is not Mirelli, then we still need to release the profile to catch the Unsub. I want JJ to stay in here with Garcia and keep an eye on the video feed. I want you wearing the wireless ear piece so that we can talk to you."

"That's fine, but no matter what happens in that room. You have to promise me that you won't come in there until he either gives the confession or I can't defend myself anymore."

"You're going to bait him into beating you," said Morgan angrily. "Emily…"

Holding up her hand to stop him, Emily explained, "If he doesn't admit to these murders, we need to have a solid case for attacking a federal agent, and that means he would need to hit me. It's alright, believe me I'll be able to take it. I promise, if it gets too much I will call for help, but I know that man and one way or another he goes to jail tonight," said Emily.

"She has a point," says Rossi.

Hotch glared at her for a second, concern filled his eyes. "Emily…"

Emily walked over to Hotch. Taking his hand in hers, she gave it a little squeeze. "I know what I am doing, Aaron. It's the only way to get him to admit this. If James is our Unsub, then he has me picked to be the twelfth murder - the November murder, Aaron. It all fits. I need to do this to finally make him pay for those years of abuse, the lo…loss of my child and the murder of eleven innocent women."

"At any point that you feel overwhelmed you walk out of there, understood," Hotch ordered Emily.

"Yes, _sir_," Emily pulled him into a hug. "I love you, you know that."

"I love you too. Promise me you will be careful."

"I promise," she kissed him and turned to walk out the door.

Reid watched her leave the room, "I hope she knows what she is doing. Do you think she will be able to pull this off? With the emotional roller coaster she's been on today."

"She's not just emotional," said JJ with a small smile. "She's pissed off."

"And, what's that saying…'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'," added Garcia. "And our dear Emily is definitely feeling scorned."

* * *

***Enter sing-song voice* Emily's getting her payback!!**


	9. Let The Games Begin

**This is part one of the conversation. I'll have the other part up sometime later today. **

* * *

The group of profilers followed Emily out of the room. Hotch walked over to Mirelli, "If you can get your officers together. We are ready to give a profile."

"Of course," he replied.

Hotch walked back over to his team. "Emily, are you sure about this?"

She nodded, "I'll be okay."

"Alright." He handed Emily her earpiece. This is set as a direct contact between you, me, and JJ. Everyone else will be able to hear what happens in that room. They'll be connected on a different frequency so that they can all speak without causing you any distraction."

"Agent Hotchner, everyone is here," Mirelli called over from the other side of the room.

Hotch nodded at him in response and then turned to Reid and Rossi. "Give the exact profile. Let's see if his own officers make Mirelli for murder." Rossi nodded and Hotch focused on Emily again. "Once we hear from JJ that you've made it into the interrogation room, Morgan and I will head to the observation room. Just say the word, and I'll be right in there."

Emily nodded and squeezed Hotch's hand that was holding hers. Their eyes held contact for a brief moment, words not needing to be said about their feelings for each other.

Rossi and Reid took their place in front of the officers.

"Our unsub we're looking for is a 30 - 40 yr old male. We believe that he has a history of abuse. It could be that he was abused as a child or…"

Emily stopped paying attention to what was being said as she walked towards Mirelli. "James, can we talk?" she asked him as she motioned towards the interrogation rooms behind them.

"Of course. We can go into my office." He motioned to his office that was across the precinct room.

Emily shook her head, "No. I don't want them to see me leaving the room. Let's head back towards the interrogation rooms." Emily turned and walked away and Mirelli followed.

They sat down at the table in the one of the interrogation rooms.

--

"Alright, Emily we can see you. There in room 3, Hotch," JJ called through her radio. "You can do this, Emily. You are not alone."

--

"I get the impression that they don't want to leave you alone," said Mirelli.

"Yeah," she replied. "I work with the best profilers in the country, James. I didn't have to tell them anything for them to know that we have a history."

"A history?! Do you even remember what tomorrow is?" James asked.

"Of course I do! It would have been our Tenth Anniversary," Emily replied.

"Do you remember the day we met, Emmy?" James asked.

Emily cringed a little at the use of his nickname for her. "I do. It was the summer in between my sophomore and junior year. You were sightseeing in D.C. and I was sitting in a park near my mother's house."

"I still find it amazing that we were living ten minutes apart from each other and it took me being on vacation in D.C. to meet you. It was fate that brought us together." James sighed as he remembered that time. "We spent the next few hours talking and I was so happy when you agreed to meet with me for dinner. It was love at first sight, for me." He smiled at Emily. "It still is."

---

Emily looked down at her hands as she listened to him talking to her. She heard Hotch's voice through her earpiece as he said, "We're in the next room."

Morgan noticed Emily's shoulders relax a little when she heard Hotch speak. "I've got a bad feeling about this, Hotch."

Hotch blocked the connection on his mic so that he could not be heard by anyone but Morgan, "Me too, but Emily needs to do this. It's not just about catching him. She needs to confront him about all the pain he's caused her. It's to help her finally recover fully from everything that he did to her."

"Do you think she will?"

"I'll make sure of it."

---

"So you've told them all about our history together?" asked Mirelli.

"They know that we were married and that we had a difficult time during the last years of our marriage."

"Difficult? You were doing everything that you could think of to make me mad."

---

JJ saw Emily rubbing her hands on her lap underneath the table. She spoke into the radio, "Em, we're right with you. You are not alone." JJ looked up at the door as Rossi and Reid returned to the room after giving the profile to the officers.

"He's getting agitated," said Reid.

---

Emily took a deep breath. _'Here goes nothing,'_ she thought to herself. "You're blaming it all on me? Did I make you come home drunk at night? Do you think I asked for the guys to hit on me while I was obviously so in love with you, and not even paying attention to them? Did I cause your mother's Cancer?"

Mirelli stood up from the table. "Don't you dare bring my mother into this? You know that you are not allowed to speak about her. Has that dense brain of yours forgotten that?"

Emily hung her head low. "No, of course not. Please sit back down, James. I'm sorry."

As Mirelli sat back in his seat Emily heard Hotch's voice ring in her ear. "We're here, Emily," he assured her again. "Push the hair behind your ear if you can go on." There were a few seconds of tension as the team watched the scene and a chorus of sighs were let out when Emily managed to tuck the hair behind her ear.

"So, let me hear this profile that your team has come up with," said Mirelli.

"Okay…Our Unsub is a white male in his 30s or 40s. He's a power/control serial killer. He kills to gain exert power over his victims. He mostly likely has a history of abuse. He could be the one abused, the abuser, or, perhaps both. He has a type – brunette women in their 30s." Emily paused here before continuing.

"The stressor would most likely be a certain event that took place in his life with a woman that fits the description. Eleven bodies each tattooed with a different month on a part of the body. It is most likely possible that there is a connection between the month and the body part, most likely an injury that occurred on that particular body part during that month." Emily could see irritation filling his eyes while she had spoken.

"That's a lot of detail, Emmy," said Mirelli.

"It is, but it will all help us to track down our Unsub. We believe that there is going to be one final victim."

"Just one? What makes you say that?"

"November is the only month not represented with a victim. It is most likely that November is of some importance to the Unsub. As I said before he could be the one abused. In that case, November was probably when it all started. If he is the abuser, than November could be the month connected with his stressor, most likely an anniversary. It could be of a death or the break-up of a relationship."

---

"Look at his fists," said Morgan. "He is getting agitated."

"I see it," said Hotch. Hotch pressed the button on his mic to speak with Emily. "Emily, you're getting to him. Be careful."

---

Emily pushed the hair behind her ear that had fallen in front of her face, hoping that Hotch would recognize that as her understanding of his warning.

"I am surprised at how detailed that is," admitted Mirelli. "We should be able to find this guy quickly."

"As I said before, James, this team is comprised of the best profilers in the country. We are exceptional at what we do," explained Emily.

"I always knew that you would be exceptional when you joined the academy. I just hoped that we would still be married."

Emily was about to reply to that statement but Mirelli stopped her. "Agent Rossi. Is he the same as the one who wrote those books?"

"He is," replied Emily.

"He was the one who gave that lecture at the bookstore," stated Mirelli.

Emily nodded, "Yes."

'_Here we go,'_ thought Emily.

---

"This is it," said Rossi. "It's going to escalate from here. Garcia, make sure you are recording this feed."

"Already have it covered," she replied unable to take her eyes off of the screen as Mirelli continued to speak.

---

"He is the one responsible for the end of our marriage," Mirelli spat.

"Are you serious?" Emily asked him.

"He put the idea in your head to join the ."

"You knew that I was interested in law enforcement. It was why I have the criminal justice degree."

"I thought you would have just gone to the police academy."

"I tried that, remember. You made sure that my application was declined."

"I did nothing of the sort."

"You admitted it to me when you came home from one of your drunken binges, James."

James sat there for a second and then let a laugh escape his lips, "This is a side of you, I haven't seen since we were dating, the fire in your eyes, not backing down from a confrontation. I've missed it."

Emily took a deep breath before she continued. "You put that fire out, James." Emily felt a small tear run down her face. "You alone are responsible for the end of our marriage. The emotional and physical abuse that you made me deal with, were all too much. I tried to give you the benefit of doubt, thinking that it was just your grief and that you would eventually stop, but you never did."

Emily felt confidence growing within as she finally had the courage to say to him all the things she had been feeling. "Yeah, I guess in a way David Rossi is responsible for me leaving. He opened my eyes to the situation that I was in. He made me realize that there were problems within our marriage. But, it was that last day with you that made the decision for me to leave you."

* * *

**Let me know what you think!! **


	10. She Has Her Say

**All of your reviews have been very encouraging!! I am horrible at replying to them individually so I just wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate them!!**

**On with the story!!**

* * *

Emily took a deep breath and calmed herself down before she continued, "You fit the profile, James. I fit the victimology. It is all too similar to just be a coincidence."

"You think I am responsible for all of this?" James asked, noticeably getting angrier. "Why would I go through all of this? Killing eleven innocent women."

"To get me here. You intend for me to be your last victim. You know about the restraining orders that I have out on you after I received your letter. You wouldn't be able to get close to me if you came to D.C., and there is no guarantee I would not be on a case if you tried. It makes sense that you would use your anger at me to cause these deaths that were so tragic enough that we had to be called in."

"I didn't even know that you were with the F.B.I."

"That's bullshit, James and you know it," said Emily. "You knew all along. You knew all about my move to St. Louis, Chicago and D.C. from the copy of the restraining orders that you received. With your connections, it wouldn't take long for you to figure it all out." Emily stood up, "I need to get back out there. I am sure that they have finished the profile and Agent Hotchner would be looking for me to explain why I was not present."

James stood up, "Do not walk away from me! We are not finished here!"

"Yes, James, we are. If you haven't noticed yet, you do not control me anymore. I have, how did you put it, 'grown a backbone'."

"You think that you could just stand there – tell me you think I committed these murders and just walk out of here?"

"Not think James. I know. You have never been the same since Anna died. Three years, James. Three years I stayed with you, trying to help you cope her death. Three years I allowed you to take your grief out on me with insults and punches, expecting that one day you would wake up and be the same James I fell in love with at that park in D.C. How stupid I was to believe that, but I loved you and thought we could get over that together. But, you were so full of anger that you couldn't hold back from hurting me, but you didn't just hurt me, did you? You killed 11 women and one…baby."

--

"Careful, Emily," Hotch warned her afraid that her emotions would take over her instincts.

--

"This is escalating too much," said Rossi. "Reid, call for paramedics to come here. Have them approached without sirens and wait outside. I've got a bad feeling of how this is going to end."

Reid nodded and opened his phone to make the call.

"JJ, get Suarez in here."

Rossi watched as she ran out of the room.

--

"A baby?" James asked with wide eyes.

Tears were flowing from Emily's eyes now. "That's right, James I was pregnant when you decided to beat me that last time. I lost the baby because of your kicks to my stomach."

"You were pregnant! Why didn't you tell me?" he shouted at her.

Emily answered him through her sobs. "I didn't know. I found out when I got to my mother's and she took me to the hospital. I was four weeks into the pregnancy, but would it really have changed anything? Maybe you would have stopped while I was pregnant but there is no guarantee that you would have changed into the man I knew when we met. I would not have stayed with you if I had found out that I was pregnant before then. I would not want to raise my child in an abusive household."

"You would have kept my child away from me?"

"Yes." Emily had no time to brace herself for the impact of James' fist on her cheek.

---

Morgan flinched as he watched Emily get hit, "Bastard."

Hotch saw Morgan inch closer to the door. "Morgan, not yet."

"Hotch, are you serious? He just assaulted a federal agent."

"And he will be arrested for that, but we need to see if he'll confess. Believe me, I hate this as much as you do, but Emily needs us to have faith in her." Morgan nodded as they turned their attention back to the room.

---

The force of his punch sent Emily into the wall. She rested against it, her hand over the cheek that was hit. She could feel the wetness of blood on her cheek. His ring must have cut her. "You just made my point. How could I raise a child in a household where he or she would live in fear that the very little thing that was done would cause you to react with violence."

---

Reid ran outside and met with the paramedics. Following Suarez, Rossi and JJ they made their way to the interrogation room. The officers in the precinct looked at them with confusion.

"Morgan, paramedics are outside the room," Rossi called through his mic.

---

Mirelli rushed up to Emily and punched her in the stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. "I should have killed you that day. I imagined your face on every one of those women as I killed them. Now I get the real thing." He ceased the opportunity of Emily still being out of breath to place his hands on her throat. Pressing her against the wall, he started to squeeze hard as he cut off her oxygen supply. "I am going to thoroughly enjoy seeing the fire in your eyes going out."

Instinctively, Emily reached both hands up to try and pry his hands off of her. Before the darkness consumed her, Emily used the last strength she had to raise her leg and connect her knee in between his legs.

The last thing Emily heard before losing conscious was Hotch's order for the team to enter.

Mirelli took a few steps back bending over a little from the unexpected hit. His hands on her neck were the only thing keeping Emily on her feet. Once they let go she slid to the floor, her head hitting against the cement floor as she went down.

Recovering quickly, Mirelli removed his gun from his holster. "Goodbye, Emmy."

---

"Move in, now," ordered Hotch.

---

The doors burst open as the team entered from the outside hall and the observation room with their guns drawn, surprising him for a sec, which was all that they needed. The team sprang into action. Rossi shot Mirelli in the shoulder, causing him to lose the grip on his gun. Morgan ran up to his shoved him into the wall, placing the handcuffs on his wrist. Hotch crouched down next to Emily, while Reid and JJ waited outside with the paramedics for the situation to be cleared.

Morgan began reading Mirelli his rights, "James Mirelli, you are under arrest for the murder of eleven women and the attempted murder of a federal agent. You have the right to remain-"

Morgan stopped talking when he heard Rossi scream, "Get those paramedics in here. She's not breathing." Morgan watched Hotch as he was performing CPR on Emily.

The paramedics rushed over to them. "How long has she been out?" one of them asked.

"About five minutes," Rossi answered.

Morgan handed Mirelli Suarez as he stood by and watched the paramedics work on Emily.

"Still no pulse. Charging the defibrillator to 250," said the second paramedic. "Clear."

Garcia entered the room just as Emily's body rose slightly off the floor from the shock. The first paramedic felt for a pulse. "No response. Resuming CPR."

"Come on, Em," Garcia pleaded.

"Fight Emily," JJ cried as the first paramedic performed CPR.

"Don't leave me, Emily," pleaded Hotch.

The second paramedic pressed a few buttons on the machine. "Charging to 300 … clear."

He smiled to the group, "I've got a pulse. It's weak, but it's there. Let's get her on the stretcher and to the hospital." He signaled to his partner.

"Hotch, go with her," said Rossi. "We'll be right behind you."

Hotch nodded as he followed the paramedics out of the room.

Ten minutes later they were all on the way to the hospital. Hotch was holding Emily's hand while the paramedic was checking her vital signs. "Her pulse is getting stronger. She might even regain consciousness before we get to the hospital."

As the paramedic tried to clean the cut on Emily's cheek, they heard a loud gasp and Emily's eyes shot open. Fear took over her body as Emily tried to sit up but found that she was unable due to the straps of the stretcher. "Agent Prentiss I need you to calm down," said the paramedic.

Emily struggled some more as if she didn't hear him speak. Hotch placed his hand on Emily's shoulder. "Emily, you're safe. Look at me."

It took a few seconds for Emily to realize that it was Hotch's voice that she was hearing. She turned her head towards him. "Aaron?" she scratched out.

"Hey beautiful," he smiled at her. "You are in an ambulance on the way to the hospital."

"What…happened?"

"Agent Prentiss your throat needs time to heal. You should not try not to talk," said the paramedic.

Emily nodded, but still looked at Hotch for an answer to her question.

"We're here," announced the paramedic driving the ambulance, before Hotch could explain further.

* * *

**Would love to know what you think of this chapter!!**


	11. The Hospital

**Thank you for all of your reviews!!**

**

* * *

**Hotch held Emily's hand the entire time the stretcher was wheeled through the entrance to the emergency room. When they reached the door to the exam room a nurse stopped him from going inside. "I'm sorry, sir, but you will just have to wait until the doctor examines her first."

"Please," he started to plea for her to allow him to stay with Emily.

"Aaron, I'll be okay," said Emily.

"I'm going to be right outside this door," said Hotch.

"You might be more comfortable in the waiting room, sir," advised the nurse. "The doctor will come and let you know that everything is alright and that you can come back and see her."

Hotch just sent a glare at the woman, causing Emily to squeeze his hand that she was holding, "Hey, she's right…Go to the waiting room…The team…will be…here soon." Emily started to cough.

"What's wrong?" asked Aaron.

"We need to get her inside, now," said the nurse.

Hotch let go of Emily's hand and stood outside the exam room as the medical team started to evaluate Emily.

The rest of the team came rushing down the hallway towards him. "Hotch," said Rossi as they reach his side. "How is she?"

"I don't know. She started to cough and then they wheeled her into the room. What is wrong?"  
Hotch looked at Reid when he asked that that last question, knowing that he would be the best one to answer it.

"Was she talking before she started to cough?" asked Reid.

Hotch nodded, "She was trying to get me to stay with you all in the waiting room. Did I cause this?"

Reid shook his head, "No, Emily is most likely dealing with the affects from the injury to her throat or vocal chords. To her, it probably feels like the worst sore throat she has ever had."

"But, she'll be alright, right?" JJ asked.

"She should be, but…"

"But, what, Reid?" asked Garcia.

"With her heart stopping, it could complicate it a little. We won't know more until the doctor comes out."

"She'll be alright," said Rossi, "Emily is strong."

Hotch nodded at him and then walked to the chairs in the waiting room and sat down.

--

"What's…wrong?" Emily asked the doctor

"Agent Prentiss-"

"Em…ily."

"Alright. Emily, the pressure on your neck from being strangled as just bruised your vocal chords and throat. I'm guessing that it probably feel like a really bad sore throat. Am I right?"

"Yes," Emily rasped.

"Okay, it's going to feel that way for some time. I don't want you to try to talk too much for a few hours. One word answers only, nods or writing."

"Discharged?" Emily hoped the doctor would be willing to let her leave.

He shook his head, "I'm sorry, but you hit your head and your heart stopped just before the paramedics got to you. I would like to keep you overnight just for precaution."

Emily nodded her understanding. "Aaron."

"Is he the man that came in with you?" Emily nodded. "I was going to go and speak with him after I left you. Would you like to see him?" Emily nodded again. "Alright. I'll send him back to you once we finish talking."

The doctor left the exam room and walked to the waiting room.

--

Hotch started pacing the floor of the waiting room. He kept checking his watch growing more impatient by the minute.

A doctor walked into the room, "Excuse me, I'm taking care of Agent Emily Prentiss. Are any of you here for her?"

Hotch walked up to the man, "We all are. I am Aaron Hotchner, Emily's supervisor and I'm also her boyfriend."

"How is Emily doing?" asked JJ.

"She'll be just fine," said the doctor with a smile. "There is bruising on her throat and stomach. She's got a cut on her cheek and some bruising there as well. I am going to keep her overnight just for precautionary reasons."

"Doctor, the coughing fit she had when she was first brought in-"

The doctor held up his hand to stop Hotch, "It was just because she was trying to talk too much too soon. Her throat and vocal chords just need some time to heal." He looked over at Hotch, "She's asking for you. If you follow me I'll take you to her."

Hotch followed the doctor to the exam room that Emily was in.

"As I told Emily, I'd like for her to try and keep her responses to one or two word sentences, head nods and written, just for the next few hours."

"I understand," said Hotch as he entered Emily's room. "Hey," he said to Emily as he entered the room.

"Aaron," Emily held out her hand and motioned for him to walk to the bed. Aaron walked to Emily and bent down as he gave her a kiss. "Sorry."

Hotch looked at Emily and saw tears pooling in her eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

Emily couldn't look Hotch in his eyes as she admitted, "I believed…Strauss."

Placing a few fingers under her chin Hotch forced Emily to look him in his eyes. "It is _not_ your fault that Strauss believed her plan to get me fired would work. It is _not_ your fault that Strauss chose to still keep me in the dark when that plan fell through. Most importantly, Emily, It is _not _your fault that James Mirelli hurt you."

"James! Aaron…what hap-"

"Shhh…Em, you are supposed to be resting your throat. Just calm down, okay?" Receiving a nod from Emily, he continued, "Mirelli eased up the pressure on your neck after you kneed him in the groin, but you still slipped unconsciousness right after. We came into the room just as he had his gun pointed at you. Rossi took the shot and Mirelli was hit in the arm. You got him to admit to the murders, Emily. We arrested him for the murders of the eleven women and attempted murder of a federal agent. You don't have to worry about him anymore."

"It's…over," stated Emily.

"It is. Why don't you try and get some sleep. The orderlies will be in soon to move you to a room upstairs. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

Emily nodded and let her eyes close.

--

JJ looked up at the entrance doors of the emergency room just as the paramedics wheeled in another stretcher. "What the hell?"

Morgan looked up and followed her gaze, "They can't seriously be bringing him in here!"

"Reid, go and find Emily's room and let Hotch know, but try and do it without Emily finding out. She doesn't need this right now," said Rossi as he walked away from the group. Approaching one of the men accompanying the stretcher, Rossi gritted through his teeth, "Why the hell are you bringing him in here, Suarez?"

"We can't transport him to the jail until tomorrow morning, so we had to bring him in to have the gun shot attended to."

"So you bring him to this hospital?"

"It's the closest one, Agent Rossi."

"His latest victim is lying there in one of the exam rooms. A victim whom he would still very much like to see so that he could finish what he started in that interrogation room. You keep him handcuffed to that be Suarez and double guard detail."

Suarez nodded at Rossi and followed the stretcher into one of the examination rooms. Rossi went up the reception desk in the waiting room. He flipped open his badge to the nurse working there, "Ma'am could you please have Agent Prentiss' doctor come out to speak with me."

"Just give me a moment to find him," said the Nurse as she left the desk and walked into one of the exam rooms.

"I was told that you were asking for me," said the doctor once he was able to make it out to speak with Rossi.

"It appears that the man responsible for Agent Prentiss' injuries has been brought in here for treatment. I'd like for you to rush her room placement if you can. I would prefer that she doesn't know that he is in this hospital."

"I'll see what I can do," said the doctor.

Rossi joined the others in the waiting room.

"Rossi, please tell me was seeing things and that they didn't just bring Mirelli into this hospital," said Morgan.

"Oh, it's him alright. Apparently he couldn't be transported to the prison right away. So, they brought him here to have that shoulder looked at," said Rossi.

Hotch walked into the waiting room. "Is Emily okay?" asked Garcia.

He nodded, "She's resting right now. I left Reid with her. What's the situation with Mirelli?"

"He's here to have the bullet wound looked at. I told Suarez to keep him handcuffed with double protection at all times." Rossi looked up at Hotch, "How is she really doing?"

"She'll be fine. It will take a few days for her throat to heal," he answered.

"That's not what I meant and you know that," countered Rossi.

Hotch nodded and then continued, "She's overwhelmed right now. She tried to apologize to me for Strauss not informing me about the restraining order."

"That is not her fault," said JJ.

"And, I told her that," said Hotch, but I'm not sure if she believes me.

Their conversation was cut short when Suarez came running up to them, "We've got a problem."

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**Now, did you really think that I would let Mirelli only get a lousy gun shot wound to the shoulder??? hmm maybe. maybe not.**


	12. We Have A Problem

**So sorry it took so long to update. I hate when personl life gets in the way!!**

**This chapter is dedicated to all of you fabulous reviewers!!  
**

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**"What is the problem?"asked Morgan.

"Mirelli overpowered one of the officers, knocking him unconscious, when the doctor approached the bed to check the bullet wound," explained Suarez. "The doctor tried to sedate him, but she was unsuccessful. Mirelli is loose in the hospital."

"He's going to go after Emily," said JJ.

"JJ, go to Emily's room." JJ nodded and ran off. "Detective Suarez, I want this hospital on lockdown, no one in and no one out until we get Morelli. We need to search every floor until he is found."

--

"Reid?"

Reid looked towards the bed to see Emily's half opened eyes looking at him. "Emily, are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Emily shook her head and looked around the room, "Aaron?"

"He just stepped out of the room after you fell asleep. He'll be right back." Reid stood up and walked closer to the bed.

"Something…wrong?" asked Emily.

Resting his hand on her shoulder, Reid assured her, "It's nothing for you to worry about, now. Remember what the doctor said you need to rest that throat so that you can heal faster."

Emily nodded, although she didn't believe Reid. There was something wrong and she could sense it, but she didn't push the subject. Emily knew that Hotch and the rest of the team would do whatever they could to protect her.

Movement at the doorway caught her attention. Emily's eyes widened when she saw the person standing there. She grasped Reid's hand.

"Emily, what's wrong?"

"James."

Reid turned towards the doorway. Seeing Mirelli standing there, he reached for his gun. He was not quick enough. Mirelli rushed into the room and, using the gun he took off of the other officer, he hit Reid on the head knocking him unconscious.

"Reid!!" Emily screamed, but regretted it immediately when she started to cough.

"You're coming with me, Emmy," said Mirelli as he moved closer to her bed.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, James," Emily refused.

Mirelli smirked as he grabbed Emily's arm, "You will, or I will kill him." Mirelli aimed the gun he was holding at Reid.

Emily's heart started to beat faster. She couldn't be responsible for anyone else dying because of her. Emily knew that this nightmare wouldn't end until either she or Mirelli died. "Alright," said Emily, accepting her fate. "I'll go with you. Just don't hurt anyone else, James." Emily stood up from the bed and allowed Mirelli to take her hand as he led her out of the room.

--

Five minutes later, JJ walked into Emily's room. The first thing she noticed was the empty bed. Looking down towards the floor, she spotted an unconscious Reid.

"Reid?" JJ called as she felt for a pulse. Relieved when she found one, JJ tried calling him again, "Reid, it's JJ. Come on I need you to wake up." JJ took hold of her cell phone and called Hotch.

"JJ, what's wrong?" asked Hotch once he picked up.

"I'm in Emily's room. She's not here Hotch, and I found Reid on the floor unconscious."

"Is he okay?" asked Hotch.

"His pulse is strong," said JJ. "There's a bad cut on his head, from where he was hit."

"I'll send a doctor into you. Stay with him. We're going to go find Emily." Hotch hung up the phone and had to take a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"What's going on Hotch?" asked Morgan. Hotch relayed what JJ had told him to Morgan and Rossi. They all spread out and continued their search of the Hospital, while Garcia pulled out a laptop from her bag and immediately hacked into the hospital security cameras to look for Emily.

--

Mirelli turned a corner and froze immediately when he saw two security guards searching the rooms in that hallway. Pushing Emily into a storage closet near them He warned her, "Do not make a sound." Emily looked into his eyes and saw the rage that they held. She nodded her head and they hid behind some boxes in a far corner of the room waiting for the security guard to finish their check of the hallway.

Emily tensed up when the door started to open. She knew that they were not hidden enough to stay out of sight when the lights in the room were turned on. Her emotions were torn when they used their flashlights to search the room. Part of her was happy that no more blood would be shed since they weren't found because she knew James would not give up without more violence taking place. The other part of her was upset that they weren't discovered and that her living nightmare is still allowed to continue.

"_Aaron, please help me," _Emily sent out a silent prayer.

She let at a small groan as James pulled her up from the ground. "Let's go, Emmy."

--

Garcia dialed Morgan's number. Not waiting for him to great her, she talked right away, "I found them. They just came out of a storage closet…(sounds of key strokes)…zooming in on a nearby door…(more key strokes)…Got it. They are outside room 111."

"Thanks, Baby Girl," said Morgan as he hung up the phone and raced down the hall. He slowed down as he got closer and heard Emily's voice.

"James, please, just let me go," Emily pleaded. "You don't have to do this."

"But, I do Emmy. We belong together. You know that. I can see the love still in your eyes. You're my wife."

"EX-WIFE." Emily stopped walking and held her ground as Mirelli tried to get her to move again. "I am your ex-wife James. "All rights you held to being with me died with your mother. You changed after that. You don't abuse someone you claimed to love."

"Do. Not. Bring. Her. Up," Mirelli spat out.

"Why not James? Our marriage all went to hell when Anna died. I would stay at home everyday hoping that the man I fell in love with would walk through the front door and everything that happened before it was all just some sick nightmare. I got him some of the time, but for the most part, my nights ended in tears, tears of pain at your abusive words and your abusive hits."

"SHUT UP!" Mirelli pushed her into the wall.

"We will never be together again, James. Not the way you want. If you succeed in getting me out of this hospital, they will not stop looking for me." Emily started to cough and her throat started to ache from the emotional words she just finished admitting. She dropped down to one knee as she tried to contain the coughing fit.

Mirelli picked her up from the floor. "Don't worry baby. I will make sure to keep you safe and away from anyone that tries to separate us."

"That's not going to be easy."

Mirelli and Emily looked towards the end of the hallway. Emily's heart flipped when she saw Hotch and Rossi standing there. "Aaron," Emily whispered.

Emily felt Mirelli grab her closer to his body. "Agent Hotchner, Emmy and I are going to leave this place and restart our life together."

"I can't let you do that," said Hotch. "You've killed eleven women and assaulted two federal agents one of which you are attempting to take against her will."

"You want to come with me. Tell him that Emmy," said Mirelli.

"Don't do this, James," Emily begged.

He dragged Emily towards the other end of the hallway. Looking up, he saw Morgan and Suarez standing there.

Watching as they stopped halfway in the hallway, Hotch took a few steps toward them. "Mirelli take a look at her," said Hotch. "Do you see love in her eyes? That's not love. That's fear. Put the gun down and we can end this all peacefully."

Mirelli pushed Emily to the floor.

"Don't do this man," yelled Morgan.

Emily looked up at Hotch from her lying position on the floor. She knew what was about to happen and she was scared. Emily felt the gun pressed against her head, and she closed her eyes. "Please James."

"I'm so sorry Emmy. I love you."

Five gun shots were heard. One bullet was fired from each of the guns in that hallway.

Rossi's bullet hit Mirelli in the arm holding his gun.

Suarez's hit Mirelli in the back.

Morgan's hit around the same location of Suarez's bullet.

Hotch's bullet was the kill shot. It struck Mirelli in his forehead, sending him to the ground immediately falling on top of Emily's body.

She wasn't moving.

She wasn't even making a sound.

They rushed forward to them afraid for the worst. They all know the five shots were fired. Hotch and Rossi watched the motion of Mirelli's hand as the gun he was holding got the shot off.

"Emily!" Hotch called as he knelt down on the floor near her. "Morgan, get him off of her!"

"Aaron." he heard the faint whisper of his name coming from the woman in front of him.

Hotch felt himself finally able to breathe again, "I'm here, Em. Are you hit?"

"I don't think so," answered Emily. "My arm hurts, though."

"That's from the way you fell," assured Rossi. "There is a bullet hole in the wall."

As Rossi's shot hit Mirelli in the shoulder, he was also pulling the trigger that would have killed Emily. The force of Rossi's shot moved his gun to the side a little, allowing the bullet to hit the floor tile by her head and deflect into the wall.

"Think you'll be able to stand?" asked Hotch.

"I think so," Emily answered as she took hold of Hotch's hand and stood up.

Hotch looked at the arm that Emily was complaining had hurt. "It's not broken or dislocated. You probably just sprained it. Let's get you back to your exam room."

Emily looked up at Hotch and Rossi. "Reid, how is he?"

"He's fine," said Rossi. "JJ is with him now."

Morgan rejoined them as they walked down the hallway. "How are you doing?"

"I just want to get out of here and go home," said Emily.

"We're out of here as soon as the doctor clears you and Reid," promised Hotch.

Emily nodded as she turned into Hotch's side as they walked down the hallway. He could feel his shirt getting wet from her tears, rubbing her back to comfort her.

* * *

**you all wanted James to be killed, so I decided to give you that!! Let me know what you think!! **


	13. Almost Home

**Thank you for your reviews!!**

**JWynn, I liked your idea of Hotch carrying Emily and since I didn't really have them entering the hospital room at the end of the last chapter. I thought I would put it in this chapter.**

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Emily opened her eyes and the first sight she was greeted with was the smiling face of Aaron Hotchner. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"I'm okay." Emily looked around the room and saw the rest of the team asleep on chairs. Her eyes rested on Reid. There was a bandage where James had hit him with the gun he was holding.

Hotch followed her gaze. "He'll be fine," he assured her. "The doctor has already discharged him and you will be discharged as well in a few hours. The jet is ready for us and we will leave here as soon as we can."

Emily looked at her arm and saw the bandage that was on it. "Is it sprained?" she asked. Hotch nodded. "I guess this means I'm going to be forced to go on sick leave."

"Oh I have a feeling that your supervisor will be insisting on that," joked Hotch. "Two weeks." Emily just nodded in reply. "You scared me there for a second Emily. You collapsed and I thought that he had done something to you that I hadn't noticed, but the doctor said that it was just a little exhaustion."

--

_**Six hours earlier.**_

Hotch was walking Emily back to her hospital bed, with Morgan in front of them and Rossi behind them. Emily's sobs have quieted down a little. Without any warning, Hotch felt her body go limp as lost consciousness.

"Emily!" Hotch said loudly, causing Morgan to turn around.

Rossi was by his side immediately and helped Hotch to pick her up and into his arms as they rushed to Emily's bed. Morgan ran to get the doctor. It seemed that as soon as Hotch had Emily lying on the bed, the doctor and a few nurses rushed into the room.

"What happened?" asked the doctor. Hotch shook his head and explained the events that happened between Mirelli and Emily to him. The doctor then turned to one of the nurse in the room, "I want a full blood workup done. He was alone with her long enough that he could have injected her with something. I also want you to check her for any bruising that might lead to internal bleeding." The doctor than looked at Hotch, Morgan and Rossi. "She'll be okay, but I am going to ask that you go and wait in the waiting room while we wait for her result and the nurses check her for any bruises. It will be easier for them to do their work with fewer bodies in the room."

Hotch was about to protest when he felt Rossi's hand on his arm. "Come on Aaron, let's go and check on Reid."

Hotch looked up at Rossi and replied, "Alright." He looked over at the Doctor, "Will you let me know the results?"

"As soon as I have them," said the doctor.

They left the room and walked down the hallway to where Reid was lying on the bed with JJ and Garcia at his bedside. "How's Emily?" Reid asked when he saw them walk in.

"She's in her room, the doctor is looking her over right now," answered Morgan.

"And Mirelli?" asked Garcia.

"He's dead," said Hotch.

"What aren't you telling us?" said JJ.

"She passed out while we were on the way to bringing her back to her hospital bed. They are drawing some blood and examining her body to make sure he didn't inject her with anything or physically hurt her," Rossi explained.

"Baby girl, did you see anything once you spotted them on the video feed?" asked Morgan.

Garcia shook her head. "He pushed her into the wall. I don't think it was hard enough to cause her to pass out. She was talking to him. I had no audio so I couldn't hear. She started to cough right after that."

"That was probably just because her throat was sore from earlier. It wasn't ready for extensive use and I'm sure that whatever she had to say was filled with so much emotion. That doesn't help the throat either," explained Reid.

JJ saw the worried look on Hotch's face. "She'll be fine, Hotch." JJ didn't receive a reply from Hotch and she looked over to Rossi. He gave her a smile that said, _'I'm looking after him,'_ and she was grateful for that.

"How are you doing, Reid?" asked Rossi.

"It's a small cut, but I'll be fine. The doctor wants me to stay here for a few hours to make sure everything is alright before they release me. I never even heard him come into the room. I was talking with Emily and then she looked towards the door. I could feel her body tense as I looked to the doorway. He was too fast for me to react. The next thing I know I am waking up lying on this bed. Hotch, I'm so sorry."

Hotch looked over at Reid, "It's not your fault. He would have surprised any one of us." Reid gave Hotch a thankful smile as the doctor walked into the room. "How is she?"

"We are waiting on the results of her blood screen, but I am pretty confident to say that she just passed out from exhaustion. There are no new bruises on her body and her pulse is strong. She was probably just functioning off of her adrenaline and unless there is a surprise from the test results, you will be able to take her home about an hour or two from when she wakes up."

A collective sigh of relief could be heard from the occupants in the room. "Can I go in with her?" asked Hotch.

"Of course. She will probably still be asleep for a few hours. You should all get some rest or at least something to eat. Dr. Reid, I am having your release papers drawn up as we speak."

"Thank you," replied Reid.

"Why don't you all go and get something to eat, maybe even some rest. JJ, have them get the jet ready to leave. I know Emily wants to leave here as soon as she is released," said Hotch.

"Of course," answered JJ as she walked out of the room to make the call to the pilots.

"You need to eat and rest, too, Aaron," said Rossi.

Hotch shook his head, "I can't leave her. I'll be fine. Make sure they take care of themselves."

Rossi nodded as he watched Hotch leave the room and walk down the hallway to sit with Emily.

A half hour later, Hotch looked up towards the door as he watched all of the members of his team enter the room. "I thought you were all getting something to eat."

Grinning at him, Morgan answered, "We brought the food here so that we could make sure that you ate as well."

"Thank you," said Hotch as JJ and Garcia passed out the food to them.

--

"How long have I been asleep?" asked Emily.

"A little over six hours," answered Hotch. "The doctor said that it was just from exhaustion. We should be able to leave in a few hours."

"Good, I just want to get home and put this all behind me."

"I will do everything in my power for that to happen."

"I'm sorry that I never talked to you about James, before. When I had that meeting with Strauss, I told her that I didn't really feel comfortable talking about that time in my life. I just thought that you were respecting my wishes to not speak about it. If I had known that she didn't tell you - "

"Emily, it would not have changed anything that happened. We didn't know that he would be here until after we arrived, and even if I did know about it, you would not have let me make you stay at Quantico."

Emily looked into Hotch's eyes, "You're right. This is all so screwed up. Eleven women lost their lives because of me."

"No, eleven women lost their lives because of James Mirelli. Do not blame yourself, Em!"

"I know and you're right, but it's hard not to," said Emily.

Their heads both turned as they heard the sounds coming from Reid's chair as he woke up. "You're awake," he said with a smile as he looked at Emily.

"So are you," she let out a small giggle. "How is your head?"

"It's fine. I'm sorry that I didn't realize he was there sooner," apologized Reid.

"You couldn't have known. I'm just glad that you are alright."

"Emily, I am just going to go to the nurse's desk and inform them that you are up. The doctor wants to check you out."

"Alright."

Hotch's movement in the room was enough to wake up the others.

"Hey, you're awake," elated JJ as she walked up to Emily's bedside that Hotch just vacated. "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly?" asked Emily to which she received a nod from JJ. "Embarrassed, sad, angry," she held up her bandaged wrist, "pain – emotional and physical."

Before any comment could be made on Emily's statement, Hotch walked back into the room with the doctor.

"There's the man of the hour," joked Emily. "When can I get out of here?"

"Are you referring to me or your doctor?" asked Hotch.

"Hmm I think I am going to err on the side of caution and say both." That got a round of laughs form the room.

"Smart lady," said the doctor. "And to answer your question, based on your recent test results I am going to say you'll be out of here in an hour."

"That is the best news I've heard since we've landed in Connecticut," said Emily with a grin.

"I'll be back in about a half hour for one last exam and then if everything checks out, which I have no doubt that it will, I'll get the ball rolling on your discharge papers."

"Thank you doctor," said Emily as she watching the doctor turn and leave the room.

"Alright, Morgan, JJ and Dave head to the station and make sure that everything is set with Suarez. Meet us at the hotel in an hour and we'll get our stuff together and head to the jet," ordered Hotch.

"You got it," said Rossi.

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**Let me know what you think!! I'm always open to suggestions!!**


	14. Surprise

**Your reviews mean a lot to me!! Thank you!! So I had a suggestion and decided to use it. I hope you enjoy it!!**

* * *

Emily had changed into the clothes that JJ had brought for her as soon as the team left the room. When that task was completed, Hotch convinced Emily to close her eyes and rest for a while until the doctor returned.

One half hour later, the doctor arrived wheeling a machine in with him. "What's going on?" asked Emily as the noise of the machine rolling in wrestled her from her sleep.

"It's just the doctor, Em," Hotch answered.

"I'm sorry to have scared you, Emily. I'd like to do an ultrasound to double check something that your latest blood tests showed. Is that alright with you?" Emily nodded and held her hand out for Aaron to take it. She was afraid that there might have been something wrong and she was not looking forward to having to stay there another night. The doctor looked at the screen. "I just want to check the area where you were hit in the stomach at the police station."

"Is there something wrong?" asked Hotch as he tightened his hold on Emily's hand.

After examining the screen further, the doctor turned to them and smiled. "Mother and child are just perfect," the doctor said with a smile as he turned the screen so that Emily and Hotch could see.

"Mother?" asked Hotch.

At the same time Emily asked, "Child?"

"Yes. Congratulation's you are pregnant. You look to be about one month along. I'm guessing that you have not experienced any symptoms, yet."

"No, I've been tired the last couple of days, but I thought it was just because of the case we were working on. I'm pregnant!" She looks over at Hotch. "Aaron, we're having a baby." Tears started to fall from her eyes. Then she looked over the doctor with fear in her eyes, "Is the baby okay? I was hit in the stomach and I…I lost a child ten years ago."

"Everything looks fine. I recommend you making an appointment with you OBGYN once you get back to D.C. Other than that, you are free to go. I'll get your release papers together."

"Thank you," said Emily. She looked on as the doctor wheeled the machine out of the room.

"Are you okay?" asked Hotch.

Emily placed her hand over her stomach and smiled. "I'm perfect. When I lost the baby after James…after he… Well, I believed that I would never have the chance to be a mother again. I definitely did not picture myself trusting another man. You found a way to work passed all of my defenses. You always made me feel safe, and wanted. To this day I still can't fathom what I have done to deserve you in my life."

"Then that makes two of us, Emily. I thought I lost all chance of happiness when my marriage ended with Haley. You stood by me as a friend to help me through that and it just grew from there." He lifted his finger to wipe away the tear falling down Emily's cheek.

Before anything more could be said a nurse walked into the room carrying a clip board and a bag that they could only guess was filled with some medication. "Alright, Agent Prentiss, I have with me your release papers. I know that you are eager to sign them and get home to enjoy the good news that the doctor just shared with you."

"You've got that right," said Emily with a smile.

The nurse handed her the clip board. "Just sign on the bottom and you'll be free to go." She handed the bag to Hotch and looked at Emily, "In the bag is a two supply of prenatal vitamins. Once you return home, don't forget to make an appointment with your doctor."

"Thank you," said Emily as she handed the signed paperwork to the nurse.

"You're welcome. Congratulations to you both." The nurse turned and left the room.

"What do you say we get to the hotel?" asked Hotch as he looked at his watch. "It's already passed the hour mark and everyone will probably start to get worried."

Emily nodded, "I'm ready." With Hotch's help she stood up from the bed and they left the hospital together.

As they drove to the hospital Hotch reached over and squeezed Emily's hand. "I can't believe I am going to say this, but I am actually glad that Mirelli is dead," he admitted as they stopped at a light. Emily looked up at him gave him a slight smile. The same thought had been running through her mind, but she was too afraid to admit it. "I am not sure that I would have been able to stop myself from doing something stupid if was still alive when we found out about the baby."

"I don't think I would have stopped you and when you were done, I would have definitely taken my shots. That's not to mention what the team would have done to him. No, I'd say that getting shot was definitely too good for him. But, I am glad to finally be able to close that part of my life. No more living in fear that he will find me. It's time to move on."

"Yes, it is," Hotch agreed with her. "Do you want to tell the team right away or wait?"

"Oh, Aaron, I don't think that either of us will be able to keep it a secret too long." Emily looked up and smiled at Hotch.

"Yeah, I think you are right." Hotch grinned and looked out the window as they pulled into the hotel's parking lot. "We'll do it on the plane, okay?"

"That sounds like a plan," agreed Emily as Hotch pulled up outside the hotel. "Let's go in and get our stuff and leave this place."

They walked into the hotel and spotted the rest of their group waiting for them in the lobby. "Thank God you're finally here. I was getting worried about you," said Garcia as she ran up and gave Emily a hug.

"Garcia, you only saw me about two hours ago. You know that I am fine," said Emily with a small chuckle.

"You know that I worry Miss Prentiss."

"I do and thank you. The doctor just wanted to perform one more test before I left."

"Is everything alright?" asked JJ.

"Everything is fine," Emily assured them.

"We are already checked out of the rooms and got your bags for you," said Rossi.

"Thanks, Dave."

--

A little over forty-five minutes later they were in the air on their way back home. Once the pilot informed them that they could move about the plane, Emily called them all over to gather around the table where she was sitting with Hotch. "I just wanted to thank you all for being there for me these past few days. Knowing that you were all so supportive of me is what helped me get through the confrontation with James both at the precinct and in the hospital."

"We will always be there to support you, Emily. We are a family," said Morgan.

Emily nodded. "What are you going to do about Strauss?" asked Rossi.

"I could look passed her trying to use me to break up this team when I first joined," said Emily. "The important thing was that we got passed that hurdle and stayed together. But this, I can't look passed. This was not something that just affected my career, it affected my life. I'm going to report her. I don't know what the outcome will be, but I can't let her get away with letting her contempt for Aaron and this team almost cost me my life. If I didn't break down when I did, then we would never have realized that it was James that was responsible until it was maybe too late."

"I will stand beside you two the whole way," said Rossi.

"We all will," added Reid.

"Thanks," said Emily and then she looked over at Hotch.

"What else?" asked Morgan. "You're keeping something back, Em. What was that last test about?"

Emily looked over at Hotch. "Profilers," she said as she rolled her eyes causing the group to just laugh at the comment. The two exchanged a smile and he gave her a simple nod telling her to continue. "When the doctor came into the room just before I was released, he told us that something showed up on the latest blood tests that they hadn't noticed with the other tests."

"You said that you were fine," said Reid.

"I am," assured Emily.

"What did the blood tests show?" asked JJ.

"Well…I'm pregnant," said Emily with a big smile.

JJ and Garcia threw their arms around Emily as they congratulated her.

"Em, Mirelli…he didn't…" Morgan tried to get the words out but he failed.

Seeing him struggle, Hotch spoke up, "I'm the father, Morgan."

"Derek, James didn't have me alone long enough to even try," said Emily as she reached across the table squeezed his hand. "I'm about one month along."

"Mirelli hit you in the stomach," said Reid.

"That was the reason for the last minute test," said Hotch. "He performed a sonogram and everything is fine."

"I just need to make an appointment with my doctor when we get back," added Emily.

"This is fantastic news, Em," said JJ.

"Agents, we are just about ready to land so I am going to have to ask you all to find your seats and buckle-up," The pilot announced through the plane.

They all took their seats as instructed and waited for the plane to make its successful landing before getting up from their seats again. As they exited the plane, Hotch called out to all of them, "Go home everyone. The paperwork can wait until tomorrow."

They did not need to be told twice as they happily left the parking lot and headed to their homes. Tomorrow they would meet and have their customary debrief of the case before Hotch and Emily made the journey to hand their formal complaints against Strauss to the Director of the F.B.I.

* * *

**As I have said before, I am always open to suggestions and if I can find a way to add them in then I will. Let me know what you think. I'm off to start writing the wedding for "Finally Together". That should be up tonight or tomorrow.**


	15. Time to Report Strauss

**Thank you for all of your reviews!! So, here is the conversation with the Director. I hope you like it.**

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"_You were carrying my baby and you didn't tell me!" James screamed at Emily as they stood in the conference room at the police station._

"_I didn't know that I was pregnant at the time," Emily defended herself._

"_You're pregnant now," screamed James._

_Emily looked down and could see the clearly visible baby bump her stomach was showing. "I am happy now with Aaron, James. I have moved on."_

"_You're happy. You won't be happy without me. That should be my baby you are carrying, not his. You shouldn't be having that baby." James moves over to Emily and starts to hit her in the stomach._

"_No, please. My baby James. Please don't hurt my baby."_

"Em!"

"_Please don't hurt my baby!!"_

"Emily, it's Aaron. Come on wake up. You're having a nightmare."

"MY BABY!!" screamed Emily as she sat up quickly in the bed.

"Shhh, it's okay, baby," said Hotch as he wrapped his arms around Emily. Emily tensed when she felt the arms wrap around her. "It's Aaron, honey."

"Aaron?" Emily finally focused on who was with her. She started to cry as the emotions she was feeling became too much. "It seemed so real."

"Want to talk about it?" Hotch asked her.

Emily nodded. "I was in the interview with James and I had just told him that I was pregnant and lost the baby. When I looked down at my stomach, I saw that it was so clear that I was pregnant. He saw it too and started to hit me, trying to hurt the baby."

Emily's sobs over took her words as she just crumbled into Hotch's arms. "It's alright. He can not hurt you anymore and the baby is fine. We'll call and make the appointment with your doctor once the office is open, okay?" He felt Emily's head nod against his chest. "Do you want to try and go back to sleep?"

"I don't think I can, Aaron. I can't get the image of that nightmare out of my mind."

"Alright then, we'll just sit here in bed and watch some mindless comedy. How does that sound?"

"You should get some sleep. I'll be okay."

"Emily, how can you even believe that I will be able to sleep when I know that you can't?"

"I don't deserve you," said Emily as she curled up into Hotch's side as he turned on the TV.

--

The next morning, Hotch and Emily walked into the B.A.U. Bullpen. "How are you doing, Em?" asked Morgan.

"I'm getting there," she replied.

"Emily!"

Emily turned to see her mother walking towards her.

"Mother, what are you doing here?"

"I heard about what happened with James. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just a few bruises," admitted Emily.

"Are you even supposed to be back at work?"

"No, I am taking a medical leave, but I have to speak with the director in regards to this case before I can do that."

"Agent Hotchner, how could you let Emily in on this case, knowing that she was in danger? For God sake's you claim to love my daughter."

"I do love Emily, Ma'am. I was never informed about James. You have my word that if I had known about it, Emily would never had been to Connecticut."

"You weren't informed. Emily you promised me that you would let your superiors know about this."

"And I did. My first day. But, this team was away on a case. I spoke with Section Chief Strauss and the head of Security. Strauss assured me that she would pass on the information to Agent Hotchner."

"And she didn't?" the Ambassador asked for clarification.

"No Ma'am," Hotch answered.

Emily saw that anger in her mother's eyes. "Mother, please, don't get involved. It's important to handle this through proper protocol."

"Emily, you can't expect to sit back and - "

"Yes, Mother I can and you will."

Emily stared into her mother's eyes, "Alright," agreed the Ambassador, "but, if they look passed this, I will not allow you to stop me from becoming involved."

"Fair enough. Now, I am sorry Mother, but we have to get the debriefing over with before Aaron and I meet with the Director."

"Please call me later?"

"I will."

Satisfied with her daughter's promise to call, the Ambassador turned and left. "Oh, I kind of hope that the Director doesn't support your complaints," joked Morgan. "I would love to see her give it to Strauss."

Emily smiled at Morgan. She silently wished for the same thing, because she knew that whatever the Director did to Strauss, would pale in comparison to what her mother could do.

--

Three hours later, Hotch walked out of his office and approached Emily's desk, "Are you ready?"

Emily took a deep breath as she looked up at him. "Not really, but I doubt I will ever be."

Hotch nodded at her, "Come on then let's get it over with." Emily took his extended hand and they walked towards the doors of the B.A.U.

"It will all work out, Em," Morgan called after them.

Emily turned and gave him a thankful smile before they walked through the glass doorway and waited for the elevator to take them up to the Director's office.

--

Releasing the hold on Emily's hand as soon as the elevator doors opened and they reached their destination, Hotch walked up to the secretary's desk. "Agents Hotchner and Prentiss to see the Director."

"Of course, Agent Hotchner you both may go right in. The director is expecting you."

"Thank you."

Emily and Hotch walked to the front of the Director's desk. He looked up from the file that he was reading and smiled as they walked into the room. "Agent Hotchner, Agent Prentiss, it is good to see that two of you." He motioned for the two of them to sit in the chairs in front of his desk. "I was just about to start reading the report from your last case. I heard that you and Agent Reid were hurt in the case, Agent Prentiss. I hope that you are both recovering well."

"We are, Sir, thank you," responded Emily.

"I am surprised to see that you are in today. From the preliminary report that I received, you were in the hospital overnight. Is that correct?"

"It is, Sir, and I will be taking some time off starting tomorrow, but there were some things that needed to be handled before I did so," Emily answered.

"And, is it correct to assume that this meeting is one of those things?"

"It is, Sir."

"How much of this case are you aware of?" asked Hotch.

"Not as much as I should be, I'm afraid to say. I've been in meetings all week with the President so I'm a little behind." Hotch nodded.

"Sir, our Unsub, James Mirelli was my ex-husband," Emily informed him.

"And he is responsible for the injuries to yourself and Agent Reid?"

"Yes, Sir. It seems he committed those murders in order to have the B.A.U., and me journey to Connecticut, where I…I was to become his final victim."

Noticing Emily starting to lose her composure, Hotch took over the explanation of the events that took place, including the revelation into Emily's abusive marriage.

"If there were threats made on your life by this man, why did you join your team on this case?" the director asked interrupting their explanation.

"Sir, the last I heard, James was still living in the same town, two towns east of where our case was taking place. I didn't believe that he would have any knowledge of our arrival to help with the case. I was certainly unaware that he had been promoted to Police Chief, and we weren't informed of his participation in this case until we had already arrived," Emily explained.

"With all due respect, Sir, we are not strangers with being targets to the rage of Unsubs. We have actually come by to speak with you about another matter," said Hotch.

"Agent Hotchner, I am sure that you already know that I have been made aware of your relationship with Agent Prentiss. You have proven that you can work together without it affecting your judgment. I am sure that this last case alone proves that."

"Yes, Sir, and we both appreciate your support, but that is not the reason that we are here. An issue was brought to my attention during this case. We have both come here to personally hand you complaints against Section Chief Strauss."

"Alright, I'm listening."

Hotch looked over at Emily. He knew that she was the one that needed to explain further. Giving him a small smile, Emily turned to the Director. "After I graduated from the Academy, I was assigned to St. Louis and Chicago, before joining the B.A.U. I had restraining orders drawn up in each place. I followed the proper protocol and met with each Section and Unit Chief, as well as the head of the security for each of the buildings where I was assigned. Each of my Section Chiefs informed me that a copy of the order would be forwarded to your office and placed in my official file."

The director than picked up his phone, "Ann, could you please locate and bring in Agent Prentiss' file?" Once the conversation ended, the director turned to Emily, "When you returned to Quantico and joined the B.A.U., did you do the same?"

"I did. I had the restraining order drawn up and arranged for a meeting between Section Chief Strauss, Agents Hotchner and Gideon, as well as the head of Security. Unfortunately, Agents Hotchner and Gideon left for a case shortly after I reported to work and they were not able to attend that meeting."

"Wasn't it re-scheduled?"

"No, Sir," said Hotch. "In fact, I was never even informed of that meeting prior to it taking place, or even after, and as you know, I was never even informed of Agent Prentiss' joining of the team, until she arrived at my office that morning." Emily's eyebrow rose as Hotch's last comment. Realizing that he might have said the words in the wrong tone, he attempted to cover up the flub. "Don't get me wrong I am not upset that she was placed on the team."

Smiling as he saw the sparkle returned to Emily's eyes the director joked, "I think it's safe to say that you might have just saved yourself from a night of sleeping on the couch."

Seeing Emily's slight smile, Hotch replied with a slight chuckle, "I think you might be right."

Ann walked into the room and handed the file to the director. He looked through the file and up at Emily, "Yes, I have copies of each of the restraining orders in here."

Hotch passed the file that he was holding over to the director. "This is my copy of the file, Sir."

The director looked through the paperwork, "There are no copies of the restraining orders."

"That is the file that I received from Section Chief Strauss' office upon Agent Prentiss joining my unit," said Hotch.

"Section Chief Strauss insisted on having the meeting even though Agents Hotchner and Gideon were not able to attend. When I finally left James and came back to live with my parents, I found out that I had actually lost the baby I didn't know that I was carrying because of his abuse. So, you can see how speaking about my time with James is always hard for me. She saw it as well and offered to speak with Agents Hotchner and Gideon on my behalf."

"When they never approached you about it, didn't you think it was odd?"

"No, Sir. I had requested not to be approached about it after that meeting. So, I never found it odd."

"And after the events of the Milwaukee case?" Emily looked up at the director with slight look of surprise. "Agent Prentiss, I am unofficially aware of all of the events surrounding that case. I am actually surprised that you did not approach me to report Section Chief Strauss' extortion."

"Her attacks on Agent Hotchner and the B.A.U. ended with that case, Sir. That was all that I was concerned for, but I can't overlook this. I could have found another career if things had turned out differently, but I can not find another life if I was to be killed on this case because of the lack of protocol followed by Section Chief Strauss."

"I understand your feelings on this situation, and you have my word that I will be looking into this matter, personally. I can not have personal agendas taking precedence over the safety of my Agents."

"Thank you, Sir," said Emily.

"Agent Hotchner I do have one question for you, before I let you both go."

"Sir?"

"Before I take the time to read through your complaint, I have to ask if this is the complaint from the Unit Chief of the B.A.U. or another Agent who is dating Agent Prentiss."

"I understand your concerns, Sir, but I assure you that if we were not in a relationship, or if the agent in question was not Agent Prentiss, I would react in the same way. I don't think it is wrong for me to expect to be fully informed about an important matter, such as this."

"You're correct, and I am satisfied with that answer. I will be arranging to speak with Section Chief Strauss and will let you know what actions will be taken. Agent Prentiss, I hope that your recovery is short and peaceful."

"Thank you, Sir."

Emily and Hotch left the office with a small smile. As they entered the elevator Hotch took Emily's hand in his, "Are you okay?"

Emily shook her head, "I just want to go home."

"Alright, why don't you go straight to the car and I'll get our things and be right there."

"Sounds good to me," said Emily as she gave Hotch a kiss as the doors opened to the B.A.U. floor. "Don't take too long."

"I won't," he answered as the doors to the elevator closed.

Hotch walked into the B.A.U. bullpen. He saw the other members of the team gathered around Morgan and Reid's desk.

"How did it go?" asked Rossi.

"He's looking into it personally. Apparently, Emily's main file has copies of the restraining orders in them."

"So, it was a deliberate sabotage against Emily?" asked Morgan.

"It looks that way?"

"How is she taking it?" asked JJ.

"Not too well. I'm going to take her home."

"Call if you need anything," said Rossi.

"I will."

* * *

**The bureau's policy is that Emily and Hotch can stay together as long as they keep there personal lives separate. That's the reason that everything seems so formal in the meeting. Also, they are speaking to the Director of the F.B.I. so of course there is some protocol in the way they are to be speaking.**

**Let me know what you think!!**


	16. Squashed Doubts

**Thank you so much for your continuous support of this story!!**

* * *

Hotch and Emily were sitting cuddled on their bed watching some mindless comedy movie. Had had rested his hand on her barely-there baby bump. "Feeling any better?" he asked.

"I just don't get it, Aaron. What did we do that she felt so threatened that she had to do all that? To not give you any copies of thee restraining orders and to not tell you about them? How stupid was I after everything she did to believe that she would have followed through with her promise of telling you and Gideon."

"You are not stupid, Em. I didn't even think she would take her resentment this far," Hotch tried to console her. "Let's forget about that now. The team should be getting out of the office soon. Why don't we have them come over? We'll get some Chinese and just relax for a little while."

Emily shook her head, "No, I just want to stay here with you. I don't really feel like being around anyone right now."

Hotch placed a kiss on Emily's forehead, "Alright, but you still need to eat something. I'll call for some Chinese food, anyway and then we'll just lay here until we both fall asleep." Emily nodded as she laid her head on Hotch's chest and refocused her attention on the TV.

--

The next morning, they both headed out the door to Emily's OBGYN appointment. Hotch had already told the team that he would be in late that morning. With any luck, the Strauss situation might actually have been resolved by the time he got into the office.

Sitting in the waiting room, Hotch took notice of the nervousness seeping from Emily's body. He took his hand in hers, "It's going to be okay. This is a precaution. The doctor in Connecticut said everything was fine."

"Now, but what if it's not fine later on? I don't think I can go through the pain of losing another baby."

"We will do everything possible to make sure that doesn't have to happen. Even if that means that you take an early maternity leave. We will get through this."

"Emily." Emily looked up and smiled at the nurse. "Come on back."

Emily stood up, pulling Hotch's hand, silently telling him that she did not want him to leave her side.

Five minutes later, Emily sat on the table waiting for the doctor. "Carol has been my doctor since I left James, so she knows all about my medical history," she informed Hotch.

"That's good. It saves you from having to retell the painful story," said Hotch as the door to the exam room opened.

"Ah, Emily it's nice to see you," said Carol. "I hear that you are here for an emergency exam. What's going on?"

"It's nice to see you too, Carol. This is Aaron Hotchner, my boyfriend and the father of my baby." Emily smiled as she looked from Hotch to Carol.

"Baby?! That's great news." Carol looked at Emily with concerned eyes. "Mr. Hotchner, I'm going to ask you to step outside for a second so that I can speak with Emily and then we'll bring you back in for the rest of the exam."

Hotch started to stand, but stopped when her heard Emily speak, "He knows everything Carol."

"Well, then in that case pull up the stool next to Emily, Mr. Hotchner."

"Aaron, please."

"Alright, Aaron," agreed Carol. Carol took the time to properly look at Emily and noticed the bruises on her face and neck. "Tough case, Emily?"

"You can say that," answered Emily. "Our suspect…It was James."

"As in your ex?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry. How are you handling it?"

"It brought up a lot of bad memories. I'll be fine though. I've got a bigger support group than I did before." Hotch squeezed Emily's hand that he was holding. "We found out about the pregnancy when I was getting checked out in the hospital. James punched me hard in the stomach as well." Emily pointed out the injury that was hidden by the hospital gown that she was wearing. The ER doctor said that everything was okay, but I wanted to come here and check it out anyway."

"Alright, let's see if we can put your mind at ease," said Carol as she left the room to get the sonogram machine.

"I like her," Hotch admitted.

Emily nodded, "She's great. They all are great here. They go out of their way to make sure that their patients are comfortable."

Carol came back into the room pushing the machine. After she took the necessary steps to set the machine up, she squeezed the cool gel onto Emily's stomach and moved the wand around. "Ahh, yes, there it is. Everything looks fine, Emily. Based on the date of your last menstrual cycle I would say you are just passed one month. So you can expect to have the baby late July/early August. We'll more reliable date next month. I'm going to get you a prescription for the pre-natal vitamins and we'll set you up for your next appointment. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Carol, will everything be okay?" asked Emily.

"Barring anything new popping up, I don't see a reason why you won't have a successful pregnancy. There are some things that you can do to secure that."

"I'll do anything," admitted Emily. "I don't want to lose this baby!"

"Be careful of your diet. You need to limit you intake of fast food, so no stopping at McDonalds while you are on a case."

"What about working?" asked Hotch. "Do you advise her to stop?"

"Aaron is also my boss, Carol," Emily explained.

"Ah, than I guess that you'll have no choice but to take care of yourself while you are working." Carol smiled at Emily. "I don't see the immediate need for you to stop working, Emily. But, I would suggest you staying away from any contact with your suspects."

"I can do that," said Emily. Then she looked over at Hotch, "Guess it's victimology for the next few months for me."

"It's that or you stay at Quantico with Garcia."

"Trying to get rid of having to put up with me when I get hormonal, Aaron Hotchner. I don't think so."

Carol laughed at the playful banter between the two people in front of her. "If you have no further questions I'll leave you to get yourself changed and I'll see you in four weeks."

"Thanks, Carol," said Emily as the doctor left the room.

"Everything's fine," said Emily a little relieved.

"It is. Do you want me to drop you at home?"

Emily shook her head, "Could you drop me off at my mother's office. I should talk to her about everything that happened. I know she probably has questions and I want to get it over with."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"I need to do this by myself."

"Alright, let's get going then."

--

An hour later, Hotch sat in his office finishing up on the paperwork from their latest case. His mind had trouble concentrating on the events as he continued to have flashbacks. They were memories of Emily breaking down as she explained her past to them in the conference room, Emily speaking with Mirelli in the interrogation room, his hands on Emily, the gun pointed to her head in the hospital and watching her lay asleep on the bed after she passed out. They continued on a loop until he finally started to remember the good parts: finding out that Emily was pregnant, telling the team about the pregnancy and just holding Emily in his arms.

He was pulled from his daydreams by the ringing of his office phone, "Hotchner."

"Agent Hotchner, the director would like to meet with you and Agent Rossi in one hour." Hotch recognized the voice of the Director's secretary.

"Of course. We'll be there," said Hotch before he hung up the phone.

Hotch stood from his desk and walked towards Rossi's door. He knocked and waited for Rossi to acknowledge him, "Come in." Rossi looked up from the file he was reading. "Aaron, I didn't know you were back already. How is Emily?"

Hotch closed the office door and sat in the chair in front of Rossi's desk. "I got in about a half hour ago. She's trying to deal with it. I tried to cheer her up last night and get her to agree to have you all come over, but I think she is still embarrassed about her passed. I don't know how to make her see that there is nothing to be embarrassed about."

"It will just take some time. Her hormones will be taking a big part in her recovery right now. She'll be fine. What did the doctor say?"

"She agrees that Emily is one month along. She can still travel with the team, but will be doing victimology until she decides to go on maternity leave."

Rossi raised his eyebrows at Hotch, "Is she okay with that?"

Hotch nodded. "It was her decision. She wants to do whatever she can to make sure that she doesn't lose this baby."

"That's good to know."

"There's another reason I came here," said Hotch. "I just got a call requesting for the two of us to a meeting with the director in an hour."

Rossi looked at Hotch with a concerned glare. "Do you think this is about Strauss?"

"I don't know." Hotch rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "If it is, why doesn't he want to speak with Emily as well?"

"She's technically on sick leave now. We are her superiors. So we go in there representing her," said Rossi. "Where is she now?"

"I dropped her off at her mother's office. She wanted to talk with her about what happened in Connecticut," explained Hotch.

"Do you think she will tell her about the baby?"

Hotch stood up and paced the room a little. "I'm not sure. It is up to her when she wants to tell her. If it is about Strauss, why ask for the both of us. You don't think that the Director might believe whatever excuse Strauss throws at him, do you?"

"Aaron, you know that the word of a respected Unit Chief and the daughter of a US Ambassador will be taken as highly as the word of a Section Chief. "It will be okay."

"I hope you are right," said Hotch as he finally sat back down in the chair.

They spent the next forty-five minutes chatting about trivial topics until the need to leave and go to the Director's office approached. They stopped in the bullpen to let Morgan know where they were going and left to take the elevator up.

* * *

**Any ideas about what you think might happen?**


	17. The Decision

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* * *

Elizabeth Prentiss looked up from her paperwork to see Emily standing in the doorway. "Emily, is everything alright?" she said as she stood from her desk and greeted her daughter.

"It's fine, mother. I actually just came back from the doctor's office. Do you have some time to talk?"

"Of course. Take a seat on the couch and I'll just get Debbie to hold my calls." Emily nodded and sat down as her mother went back to the desk and informed her secretary that they were not to be disturbed. Closing her office door, she joined her daughter on the couch. "How are you really doing? And don't try and tell me that you are fine."

Emily glared at her mother before she nodded. "I'm coping. I spent so much time trying to put that all behind me and then it all came rushing back. He killed eleven women to lure me there. I don't know if I can ever really get passed that."

"You will. It will just take time."

Emily nodded as she looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "I'm on two weeks medical leave. I'll think I will give a call to Dr. Johann and start seeing him again." Dr. Johann was the therapist that Emily met with when she finally had the courage to leave James.

"I think that's a good idea," her mother agreed. "Do you want to come and live at the house for awhile?"

Emily shook her head, "Aaron is going to be with me."

"And if they get called away for a case?" Emily's hand was immediately grasped by her mother. "Emily, you forget that I was there the last time. I know that you have nightmares every year around this time, and I know that you will be having nightmares about your recent confrontation with James. You shouldn't be alone for that."

"I'll think about it, mother, okay?"

"That's all I ask…So, how did your meeting with The Director go?"

Emily looked up at her mother, "My official file in the Director's office contained a copy of the restraining orders, so he was surprised to learn that Hotch was never informed of the restraining orders. He was calling Strauss in for a meeting this morning. We'll find out this afternoon or tomorrow if anything will be done about it."

"Something better be done about it, or I will step in."

Emily shook her head, "Mother, I - "

The Ambassador held up her hand, "I know. You don't want me to get involved, but this is not something that can overlook. The underlying factor here is not about your career, it is about your life, and no matter what grudge Erin Strauss has against you or Aaron, that doesn't mean she should be so careless with your safety."

"I was going to say that I don't think we would have to worry about Strauss. If I read the situation correctly, she will be getting at least a reprimand and a transfer."

"That's good to hear. So tell me how badly did he hurt you this time? I wasn't able to find out any more than that you and Agent Reid were admitted to the hospital."

Emily spent the next ten minutes explaining to her mother the events that happened in the conference room, interrogation room and the hospital.

"And they are all being supportive, right?" her mother asked of the team.

"Sometimes a little too much, but it is nice to have so many people to lean on," Emily admitted.

"And Aaron?"

"He's truly more than I deserve, mother. I thought he would be mad at me for not talking to him about it before, but he has been so understanding. He keeps telling me that it is not my fault that he didn't know."

"And he's right," her mother agreed.

"He's my boyfriend and I couldn't talk to him about it."

"Emily, you have to stop blaming yourself for that. It is understandable that you didn't want to bring those memories back to the surface. I think that had everything with James not happen, you would have told him anyway. He would have noticed that you were struggling with the nightmares."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Emily admitted.

"So tell me something." Emily nodded for her mother to continue. "What has put that sparkle in your eye?" Emily opened and closed her mouth a few times trying to find the words to answer the question. "You are very happy about something, and it must be big for you to feel that happiness over all of the hurt you've been through."

Emily wanted to wait a little longer to tell her mother, but she wanted to share her good news. Nodding she answered, "Yeah it is something good. Before we left the hospital, the doctor ran one last test. A sonogram. I'm pregnant mother. I never thought I would get the chance to be a mother again." Tears came to Emily's eyes as she shared the happy news. For the first time in years, Emily felt herself being pulled into her mother's arm in a tight hug.

"I am so happy for you. How far along are you?"

"Just passed one month. So far it's just Aaron, the team and now you that aware. We are not officially informing anyone in the bureau until we know what will be happening with Strauss. Technically I am only supposed to inform my Unit Chief about the pregnancy and well, with Aaron being the Unit Chief that's covered."

"Are you going to stay with the Unit?"

"For now, yes. We really haven't talked about that. This is all so new right now," said Emily as she unconsciously rested her hand on her stomach.

The Ambassador smiled, "Why don't you and Aaron come over for dinner tonight and we can celebrate?"

Emily nodded, "Alright. Do you think George can drive me home? Aaron dropped me off here after my doctor's appointment." George was her mother's driver.

"Of course. I'll call him now and he will pull the car around to the front."

The two women stood up and this time, it was Emily who embraced her mother. "Thank you, mother."

The Ambassador dialed the number to contact George and satisfied that he would be meeting Emily outside, she hung up the phone.

"I'll see you later tonight, dear," her mother replied as she walked Emily out of the office.

Debbie smiled as the two women walked out, "Here are your messages, Ambassador."

"Thank you, Debbie."

"Emily, Agent Hotchner called and asked me to make sure that you went to the office instead of home."

"He must have heard from The Director," stated Emily.

"Tell me all about it tonight."

Emily nodded, "I will." Emily then left the office and walked down the hallway towards the front of the building.

"Debbie, get me the director of the F.B.I. on the phone. I need to make sure that things are being handled correctly."

Debbie nodded and picked up the phone to make the call.

--

Hotch and Rossi entered the office of The Director of the F.B.I. five minutes earlier than they were requested. They were greeted by the smiling face of his secretary, Ann. "Go right in gentlemen," she informed them.

"Thank you," said Hotch.

The director stood up and greeted the two agents as they entered the room. "Thank you both for coming in."

"Is this in regards to the complaints, Sir?" asked Hotch.

The director looked at the two men, "It is."

"With all due respect, Sir, shouldn't Agent Prentiss be present for this?" Hotch questioned.

"I was under the impression that Agent Prentiss has taken her medical leave."

"She has, Sir."

"There is no reason for her to be here at this time. I am sure that as her supervisor, you will make sure that she is informed."

"Of course," said Rossi.

"I spoke with Section Chief Strauss this morning. Initially she claimed that there was no wrong doing on her part, but once I confronted her with Agent Prentiss' two different files and my unofficial knowledge surrounding the Milwaukee case, her story changed."

"She's accepted responsibility?" asked Rossi.

"She's done more than that," the director responded. "Effective immediately, Section Chief Strauss has been reassigned to the California field office."

"Who will her replacement be?" asked Hotch.

"I'm hoping that you will take it."

"Me?" Hotch asked for clarification.

The director nodded. "I had Agents Prentiss and Reid's medical report from the last case faxed to my office. I am aware of Agent Prentiss' condition. I can honestly say that I am happy for the both of you."

"Thank you, Sir," said Hotch. "I am honored that you thought of me for the position, but why me and not Agent Rossi. He has more experience."

"Agent Prentiss strikes me as the type of Agent who will not let motherhood change her life professionally. Is she planning on staying with the team?"

"To be honest, Sir, we really haven't spoken about it."

"That is understandable, since the information is so new. Are you considering proposing to Agent Prentiss now that she is pregnant?"

Hotch looked over at Rossi before speaking, "I have been considering it since before this last case." Hotch started to get a little confused he was unsure as to what these questions had to do with the Section Chief position.

"As you both know, the position of Section Chief is a home based job. There will be few times when traveling is needed. I would honestly be happy offering the position to either of you. However, with Agent Prentiss currently being pregnant with your child, the situation of you two being on the same team raises concerns. In essence, Agent Prentiss has changed from just being your romantic partner to the mother of your child, and as you have just admitted, future wife. That could affect your objectivity on cases."

"I don't believe that to be true," argued Hotch.

"You might be right and I hope that you are," admitted the director. "I have two reasons why I am offering the position to you, Agent Hotchner. The first is for protocol reasons. You are the Unit Chief of the B.A.U. and Agent Rossi's Superior. By virtue of that fact, the position is to be offered to you first. The second reason is my way of making sure that there is no question of the before mentioned objectivity."

"And this will be effective immediately?" asked Hotch.

"It will."

"What about the B.A.U.? Who will lead the team?" Hotch questioned further.

"That would be the reason why I asked for you to be here, Agent Rossi. The position is yours if you want it. Agent Morgan will also be promoted to fill your spot on the team. A notice will be sent out in regards to the vacant spot on the team and between the two of you and Agent Morgan I am sure that you will be able to find an appropriate addition to the team."

Hotch nodded, "If it is alright with you, Sir, I would like to have the time to speak with Agent Prentiss about this. I will let you know my decision by the end of the day."

"Of course. I look forward to hearing your decision."

"Thank you, Sir for your support in the matter," said Hotch.

Hotch and Rossi both let the room. "What are you thinking?" asked Rossi as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

Hotch looked at Rossi and smiled, "I'm going to be Section Chief."

Rossi nodded, "I think you're right. Emily will jump at the chance for you to be promoted." The elevator doors opened and they walked in.

Hotch pressed the button for the B.A.U's floor as he continued, "And I'll be able to stay home when Emily is away on a case. It will be tough not being able to be with you all, though."

"It's a good move, Aaron," said Rossi.

--

An hour later Emily walked into the bullpen of the B.A.U. "You just can't stay away, can you?" joked Morgan.

"You know I love you, Morgan," Emily said with a smile.

"Careful, Hotch might hear you."

"Eh, he's harmless," joked Emily. "Is he in his office?"

"Any idea what's going on? I was visiting my mother and he left a message for me to come here when I was finished."

"He was called to a meeting with The Director along with Rossi," Morgan answered.

"With Rossi?" Emily said. "Did he give any idea as to what the outcome of the meeting was?" Morgan shook his head. At that moment the glass doors to the B.A.U. opened once more and Reid walked in to the room. "How are you feeling?" asked Emily.

"I'm fine, although a little confused. Any idea as to why I got a call from Hotch telling me that I needed to come in?" asked Reid.

"This can't be good," Emily said worriedly.

"It could be good news, Em," said Morgan. "Hotch just might want to tell everyone all together."

"Emily."

Emily turned and smiled as she saw Hotch standing in his doorway. "What's going on Aaron?"

"I've got an announcement for the whole team, which is why I asked Reid to come in. But, I'd like to speak with you first."

"As my supervisor or my boyfriend?" Emily asked.

"Hmm…a little of both," admitted Hotch.

"Okay," said Emily as she walked toward him. "You're scaring me."

"Don't be, I promise it's nothing bad," Hotch assured her. He looked over at Morgan, "Can you get JJ and Garcia? We'll meet in about ten minutes."

"Sure, Hotch," said Morgan. Emily walked into Hotch's office and saw Rossi sitting there. "Dave," she greeted him still leery on what news Hotch had to share.

"You're looking a little more rested," said Rossi.

"I am," Emily admitted.

"Have a seat, Em," said Hotch as he pointed to the couch. "We had a meeting with The Director today."

"So I've heard. Morgan told me," replied Emily. "Come on Aaron, what's going on? Is this about Strauss?"

"It is," Hotch admitted.

"He's siding with her, isn't he?" Emily stood up and started to pace.

"Em - "

"I knew this would happen," Emily continued. "My mother is go - "

"Emily!" Hotch called out as he stopped her from pacing. "There is no reason to get your mother involved. Strauss got transferred to California."

"What?" Emily asked for clarification as she sat back down.

"She tried to downplay the claims against her, but when he showed Strauss the two different files, she cracked and admitted to it. He sent her to the California office, effective immediately," explained Rossi.

Hotch sat back down next to Emily, "Emily, I was offered her position."

"He wants you to be Section Chief?"

"He does, effective immediately. And he offered Unit Chief to Dave."

"Are you going to take it?" Emily asked.

"I'd like to, but I wanted to speak with you about it first," Hotch admitted.

"You don't need my approval, Aaron," Emily argued.

"You are carrying my child and I hope to one day marry you, so, I would like to know what your opinion is."

"Marry me?"

Hotch let out a small laugh, "Yes I don't have the ring to make it official, but I do intend on making sure that we are married."

Emily nodded, still a little shocked at the revelation. "I think you should take it," she said with a big smile on her face.

"Then it's settled," said Hotch. "I'll call the director now."

Hotch walked over to his desk to make the phone call, while Emily turned to Dave, "Is Morgan being offered your position?"

Dave nodded, "He is."

"That's good. He deserves it."

"Alright, we're all set," said Hotch. "Let's go and inform the team."

* * *

**Yay!! Strauss is gone!!**

**I am thinking about expanding on a one shot that I had posted - Emily and Sabrina. If you haven't read it yet, check it out and let me know if you are interested in more.  
**


	18. Her Mother and The Team

**Thank you for all of your reviews!! I'm still interested in what your thoughts are of my story 'Emily and Sabrina' Hate it, Like it whatever you mght think of it. just let me know!!**

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The group gathered in the conference room looked up as Hotch, Rossi and Emily walked into the room. "What's going on, Hotch?" asked Morgan.

"Clearly it is something important that affects the team if you called Reid and Emily to come in," added JJ.

"It is important," Hotch answered as he sat down at the table with Emily and Rossi sitting on either side of him.

"As you probably already know, Dave and I met with The Director this afternoon. The meeting focused on the outcomes from the complaints that Emily and I filed against Strauss." Hotch paused, trying to find the right words to use. "Effective immediately, I am not longer the Unit Chief, Dave is taking my place."

"Are you kidding, me?" cried Morgan.

"They are penalizing you for Strauss' mistake?" asked Reid.

Realizing it was the wrong way to start, Hotch quickly held up his hand to stop their rants. "I am not being penalized for anything Reid. I'm sorry I guess I should have told you the other part first. Strauss has been transferred to California and I have been offered and accepted her position."

"You're going to be the new Section Chief?" asked Garcia.

Hotch nodded, "I am."

"Congratulations," said JJ with a bright smile on her face.

"The appointment is effective as of Monday, but I will be helping with any cases you take on until Emily and Reid or back to full duty." Hotch nodded to Rossi for him to finish with the good news.

Rossi cleared his throat, "With taking over the Unit, it will leave my position unoccupied, and The Director has requested that you fill that position, Morgan."

"You're serious?" asked Morgan.

"100%," answered Rossi.

"The Director will be putting out the notice that there is a profiler's position available on the team and the three of us will sit down and go through the possible list of candidates," said Hotch. "Anyone have any questions?"

"So I guess we won't get to see a showdown between Strauss and Ambassador Prentiss," mused JJ.

"Oh, believe me, JJ. If my mother had her way, Strauss would have been sent to the FBI office in Alaska," remarked Emily.

"Hotch, man, it's going to be tough not working with you on cases anymore," admitted Morgan.

"You'll still see me around. Personally," he placed his hand on Emily's lap and they smiled at each other, "and professionally. I will always be available to offer any help that you might need on a case."

"Not that I'm not happy about your news, boss man, because I am, but I haven't spoken with Emily yet today so I want to know how the appointment went this morning," Garcia said with a smile on her face.

Emily returned the smile, "Everything looks good. My doctor is in agreement with the doctor that took care of me in Connecticut. I'm about a month long in the pregnancy and there are no signs of complications from what James did to me in either situation."

"I'm so happy for you, Emily," said JJ.

"Thanks. For everything. All of you. I know that I have already thanked you, but your support has meant a lot to me," said Emily.

"We're just glad that everything worked out for the better," said Morgan.

"That being said let's all call it a day," said Hotch.

"Ooo shortened day! I'm liking the new Section Chief already," said JJ earning laughs from the entire room.

--

Emily accompanied Hotch to his office as he retrieved his jacket. She decided to take this opportunity to make sure that Hotch was really comfortable with his decision. "So are you really okay with leaving the B.A.U.?" she asked him.

"I am. The director had some good points to back up my decision."

"Care to share?" she asked.

"Well for starters, he had your medical report from the last case faxed over to him."

"He knows I'm pregnant." It wasn't said as a question – just a statement of a fact.

"He does. He was the one that brought up that this might be better for our family. I was serious before when I had said that I wanted to marry you. Our child won't have to deal with both parents being away on cases, and the added stress of the chance of seeing each other in dangerous situations will be taken away from us. There are many good points," defended Hotch.

"Yeah, but I'm not looking forward to being separated from you during our cases," Emily pouted.

Hotch pulled her into a hug, "I'll just be a phone call away. I've got something that I know will put a smile on that face of yours."

"Yeah?"

"I'm taking the rest of the week of and Haley is letting Jack stay with us."

Emily's face lit up. "That is great news! I've missed him."

"He misses you as well," said Hotch.

"I've got a surprise for you as well. I don't think it will be as good as that one. My mother invited us for dinner tonight."

Hotch smiled at her and faked think about the situation. "Nope not as good as Jack visiting, but I'm sure it will be an interesting evening."

--

Later that evening Hotch and Emily had just pulled up outside her mother's home. "I told my mother that we're having a baby."

Hotch looked over at her. "How did she take it?" Hotch didn't want to admit it, but he was a little worried at how the Ambassador would react to the news.

"Surprisingly, quite well."

"Really?"

Emily laughed, "Yeah. She's happy for us."

They exited the car and walked up to the front door holding hands. "She's going to grill us about everything that happened in Connecticut and the baby, right?" Hotch asked.

Emily nodded. "And our plans for the future," she answered as she rang the door bell.

Emily smiled as her mother's housekeeper opened the door. "Hi Gail." Emily embraced the older women in a tight hug.

"Emily, it's so good to see you. Your mother is in the sitting room waiting for you."

"Thank you." She took Hotch's hand, "Gail, this is my boyfriend, Aaron Hotchner. Aaron, this is Gail my personal confidant growing up and my mother's housekeeper."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hotchner," said Gail.

"Aaron, please."

"Alright, Aaron." She looks over at Emily and notices the bruises on her throat.

Seeing where Gail's eyes landed Emily tried to ease her mind. "I'm fine, Gail. Just got a little hurt in our last case."

Gail let out a sarcastic chuckle, "A little? You're mother told me all about it."

Emily looked up at her with a small smile. "Yeah, I figured she would." Emily saw the confused look on Hotch's face and figured she should cue him in. "I was home alone a lot when I was younger. For the most part it was just Gail and I. I would tell her things, like how I was feeling or problems I might be having, and the next thing I knew, my mother would come to my room that night and we would talk about whatever was bothering me. They tried to play it off as if my mother _just knew _that there was something wrong, but I knew it was because Gail had said something to her. Gail's been like my second mother and it's probably the only reason why my mother has never fired her for the way she speaks to her. Those two are like sisters."

Gail smiled at Emily, "We just know each other too well, and there is a mutual respect between us. Now, go on and get in that room before she thinks that I've kidnapped the two of you."

Emily laughed at Gail's statement. "Come on, Aaron." Grabbing Hotch's hand they walked off to the sitting room. "Hello, mother," said Emily as they walked into the room.

"Ah, Emily. I'm so glad that you both were able to come for dinner. Aaron, how are you doing?"

"I'm well, thank you, and yourself?" asked Hotch.

"Oh, please Aaron, I know that you were raised with good manners but we are not in any formal setting and there is no need for you to impress me," said the Ambassador.

Emily threw Hotch a bewildered look complete with raised eye brows and a shoulder shrug at her mother's statement. Hotch let a small smile appear on his face as her answered her, "Of course," with a slight nod.

"So, before we continue on with the rest of the night and celebrate the news of my grandchild, I'd like to hear what the decision was with Erin Strauss." She motioned for them to sit in the chairs situated in the center of the room.

"Well, Strauss is being transferred to California," said Emily. Her mother nodded and smiled in her approval. "The Director offered the position to Aaron and he is going to take it."

The Ambassador looked over at Hotch, "Congratulations."

"Thank you," said Hotch.

"The position is effective immediately?"

"On paper, yes, but I am taking a few days off. I'll go back in to the office on Monday," Hotch answered.

"Am I correct to guess that the new position is D.C. based?"

"It is," said Hotch. "There will be some times when I would have to travel for some meetings or to assist any of the teams that need help, but for the most part, I'll be staying in D.C."

"Allowing for you to be there for your child."

"For both of them," said Hotch. "I love Emily very much and will be there every second of this pregnancy to support her in any way she needs. I've already told Emily of my intentions."

"We're happy, mother," said Emily as she squeezed Hotch's hand.

"Oh, believe me dear, I can see that. I meant what I said earlier today I am happy for you. For both of you. If you could get through the recent events unharmed, than I believe that you will have a happy life together."

"Thank you, mother. That means a lot." Emily stood up from her seat and gave her mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

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**I figured I would right Emily's mother as a slightly softer person. I think that this is how she would be in this particular setting. Let me know what you think!!**


	19. Jack and a small Epilogue

**Sorry it took so long to get this up - finals have been tough!!**

**A big thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing my one shot "When Compartmentalization Fails" If you missed it, take a look at it and let me know what you thought of it. **

**As always I appreciate your reviews!!**

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"Emily!" Jack ran into the living room and jumped up onto the couch beside Emily.

"Hey, Jack, I've missed you," responded Emily as she pulled him into a hug.

Jack ran his finger over the bruise on Emily's neck. "Daddy said you were hurt by a bad man."

Emily picked up his hand and gave it a small kiss. "I was, but I am going to be all better soon." She looked towards the hallway and smiled at Hotch. "Are you excited to be spending some time with your daddy?"

"And you?"

Emily's heart warmed when she heard the pleading word's come from his mouth. "Yeah, I'll be here too."

"Daddy said that I will be here for four days. That's a long time."

"Do you think we will be able to find things to do?" Emily asked him.

"There is soooo many things that we can do Emily. We can go to the museum, the park, the movies, we can play board games or Go Fish."

"Right I don't know what I was thinking," said Emily. "Guess I was just being silly."

"Yeah, silly Emily!" Jack mimicked her.

"Jack, why don't you take your suitcase to your bedroom?" Hotch asked.

"Okay daddy," said Jack as he carefully got down from the couch.

Emily smiled as she watched Jack walk up the stairs with his suitcase. "Haley sends her wishes for a speedy recovery," said Hotch. Emily looked at him with wide eyes. "I know. I was surprised as well."

From the moment Hotch told Haley that he was in a relationship with Emily, Haley acted with jealousy, even though she was in a relationship of her own, and Emily, always argued that Haley should be allowing Hotch to spend more time with his son. So to say that they were as friendly with each other as they were when they first met, would definitely be an exaggeration.

"That was nice of her," said Emily after she recovered from the initial shock.

"It was. Apparently, she realized that she was being unfair with us and her attitude towards you," explained Hotch.

"Any idea as to why she had this _realization_?" asked Emily. Emily tried to not have ill feelings towards his ex-wife, she really did, but she couldn't help the feelings of disgust she had when she thought about how hard she was making it for Hotch to see his son. And, she couldn't help the feeling that it was probably her fault. That their close relationship and Haley's jealousy was the reason behind his ex-wife's actions.

"Jack." Seeing the look of confusion she had in her eyes, Hotch continued, "He apparently asked Haley why she hated you so much."

"He did?"

"Yes, and when she couldn't come up with a real answer, she realized how inappropriate her actions have been. That's why she called and offered for him to come over this weekend, and when I told her that I was taking the rest of the week off to be with you, she offered for him to come over for the whole time."

"Do you think her relationship with Rick is getting serious?" Rick and Haley have been dating since about a month before Haley walked out on Hotch.

Hotch nodded, "I think so."

Emily looked over at the clock, "It's almost noon. We should get some lunch."

Emily went to get up from the couch, but Hotch stopped her, "I'll get lunch together, you rest."

"Aaron, I'm pregnant…not in invalid."

"And, you are still recovering," he argued back. "Let me take care of you. I think I can manage a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches."

"Fine," said Emily as sat back down on the couch.

Jack came rushing back down the stairs and sat down next to Emily. "Let's watch some TV while Daddy makes us some lunch," said Jack.

"You too?" said Emily as she looked up from Jack to Hotch.

"I'm Daddy's helper this weekend. I'm sposed to make sure that you rest when we are home," Jack explained.

Emily glared at Hotch, "Really low, Hotchner, using your son like this."

Hotch just shrugged at Emily and walked into the kitchen with a big grin on his face.

--

They spent the next few days laughing and relaxing. Emily and Hotch had shared with Jack that he was going to be a big brother soon and Emily enjoyed watching her two Hotchner boys as they conspired against her and made sure that barely did anything but sit and rest, even though it was annoying…it was cute as well. When Sunday came, the whole team gathered at the house for an early dinner before Hotch had to bring Jack back Haley's house.

While they were all sitting around the table and enjoying coffee and cake (juice and cake for Emily) Hotch stood up and called for everyone's attention.

"I know there is going to be a lot of changes coming up at work with Dave taking over the Unit and me being Section Chief. I just wanted to let you all know that, despite my position, I will still be there for you all as a friend and for any help that you might need on a case.

"Our family is expanding," he looked at Emily and smiled. "New relationships are being formed," he looked between JJ and Rossi. "Don't even think you two were fooling us. We're profilers." This brought a round of laughter from the group as JJ's face turned red and Rossi grabbed her hand. "With each passing day, we pull together stronger as a family. Nothing proves that more than the way we all came together to support Emily in Connecticut. I couldn't have been prouder as your friend and as your Unit Leader than at that moment.

"Dave, I hope you realize the strength of the team you are in charge of. Morgan, you have the potential to be a Unit Chief. Use this time to learn from Dave. The rest of them already respect you, don't worry about that. Just do the same great job you've been doing since you joined the B.A.U. Reid, the youngest, but smartest person on this team, you continue to amaze me each day with your knowledge. You are more of an asset to this team, than you probably realize - random facts and all. JJ, you bare the information of each of those case files that you read on your shoulder – more than probably we realize. Dave, you have to be there to make sure that it doesn't get her too overwhelmed. She won't ask for help."

JJ wiped a tear form her eye, "What happened to the ban on profiling the team?"

"Technically, I am not on the team anymore," said Hotch after he let out a small chuckle. "And these are just friendly observations." He looked over to Garcia, "You are the light of this team. No matter how tough the case may be, you one-liners on the phone and nicknames that you have for this team bring smiles to everyone's faces and eases the tension felt in the room. Don't ever stop that."

Hotch looked to the person sitting at his right side, "I didn't forget you. I saved the best for last." Emily smiled at him. "You are the nurturer of this team. You look out for each of them without caring as much for yourself. You've been my anchor since the flight out to Milwaukee. I can only hope to be able to repay you one day. Maybe this will be a good start."

Hotch knelt down next to Emily and took a small black box from his pocket. Emily let out a gasp as she saw the ring that was inside. "Emily Prentiss, would you make me that happiest man on this planet and become my wife?"

"Say yes, Emily! Say yes!!" yelled Jack from the other side of Hotch.

Emily laughed at Jack's excitement and wiping a tear form her eye, she said, "How can I refuse that?" as she motioned to Jack a bouncing jack in his chair.

"You can't," whispered Hotch.

Emily placed her right hand on Hotch's cheek. "Looks like you are stuck with me then, because I can't think of any answer to your question, but, yes."

Hotch put the ring on Emily's finger and then pulled her into a tight hug, "I love you so much," he said To Emily.

"Mmm love you more," replied Emily.

Jack ran over to the couple and put his arms on them both. "What do you think, Buddy?" asked Hotch. "You find out that you are going to be a big brother and get a second Mommy in the same weekend."

Jack's eyes widened as if he just realized the news, "I think I am a lucky boy!"

"I agree," said Emily as she wrapped her arms around him.

The team than started to cheer the newly engaged couple. The men shook Hotch's hand and hugged Emily, while the ladies spent time admiring the engagement ring.

That night, after all of their guests and Jack went home, Emily and Hotch lay spooned on their bed. Hotch was holding Emily against his chest with one hand resting on her stomach. Emily could hear his even breathing, telling her that he was sound asleep. She couldn't help but to think about the events of the past week and of the years since her graduation from college: meeting and falling in love with James, his downward spiral after his mother's death that led to death of their unborn child, the ending of their marriage and her entrance into the F.B.I. Academy, joining the B.A.U., falling in love with her married Unit Chief, Milwaukee, finally being with Hotch, seeing James again, finding out that she was pregnant and becoming engaged.

So much has happened, and so much is still to come. She placed her hand on top of Hotch's.

She can't wait! Emily slept peacefully that night. No nightmares. Just dreams of the happy memories to come.

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**Well, that's it for this story. Thanks again for being such a great audience!!**


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